: Relief was generally restricted to those willing to enter the institution and follow its strict regime.
: Several have been converted into private apartments, such as the former Cardigan Union workhouse at St Dogmaels. Others serve as museums, schools, youth hostels, or offices. Workhouses of Wales and the Welsh Borders free ...
: Poor Law Unions often spanned the national boundary, meaning workhouses in counties like Cheshire, Shropshire, Herefordshire, and Gloucestershire often served both Welsh and English parishes. Life Inside the Institution : Relief was generally restricted to those willing
Many workhouse buildings still stand today, though their purposes have changed dramatically: : Poor Law Unions often spanned the national
: A 1776 survey found nearly 2,000 parish workhouses in England, while Wales had only 19 .
: Some areas did not provide a workhouse until the 1870s. Rhayader in Radnorshire was the final area in all of England and Wales to establish one. Architecture and Administration
: Historical records for these institutions are generally held in local archives, though Peter Higginbotham's The Workhouse website provides an extensive online database. Workhouses of Wales and the Welsh Borders - Amazon.com