A popular dramatic monologue performed at smoking concerts and in the music halls of Victorian England was a heart rending account of poverty among the working classes called Christmas Day in the Workhouse, written in 1879 by George Robert Sims as a criticism of the harsh conditions in workhouses that had been established throughout the country.

Sims (1847-1922) was a playwright and poet whose work raised public awareness of the suffering poor to such a level that he was appointed to study social conditions in deprived areas and to give evidence to a Royal Commission on working class housing.

Christmas had a particular poignancy for the poverty stricken and the workhouse epitomised social deprivation, earning its place in English history as the last resort for the poor and destitute, as illustrated by his famous monologue:

It is Christmas Day in the workhouse,
And the cold, bare walls are bright
With garlands of green and holly,
And the place is a pleasant sight;
For with clean-washed hands and faces,
In a long and hungry line
The paupers sit at the table,
For this is the hour they dine.

The conditions that prevailed have been immortalised by Charles Dickens in his novel Oliver Twist, written against the background of the Poor Law Amendment Act of 1834 which ended supplemental dole for the impoverished and forced husbands, wives and children into separate institutions in the name of utilitarian efficiency.

Until then, each parish was responsible for providing relief to deserving cases but the burden on the rates was becoming heavy and the relatively easy terms on which men without an adequate wage could get financial help from public funds was being regularly abused. The government therefore decided to impose a more rigid procedure and the new legislation decreed that able-bodied men who could find no work had no option but to enter the workhouse, taking their families with them although in some cases, children were boarded out with foster parents.

This was the main principle of the act which also required parishes to be grouped together as unions with a workhouse for each. Bourne Poor Law Union was formed on 25th November 1835 and a Board of Guardians to supervise the system was elected, a total of 44 in number representing 37 constituent parishes, and they lost no time in establishing the new regime that became operative by the end of 1836.

The town already had a workhouse in North Street near the junction with Burghley Street which was then called Workhouse Road, but this was too small to cater for the legislation and so in 1836 a new building was erected in what is now St Peter's Road at a cost of £5,350 [£½ million at today’s values] with room for 300 paupers but was rarely full because admission was discouraged by the guardians.

They enforced a strict regime in a bid to persuade the poor to seek employment rather than live in such grim and uncongenial surroundings. Productive work was not encouraged, rules were strict and a policy of economy left no room for luxuries.

An example of the conditions that prevailed can be found in the workhouse accounts which indicate that 5p per head per day was spent on the inmates and that included clothing. Outdoor relief was also provided for the poor in their homes, there being a great resistance to entering the workhouse and some who could not face the stigma committed suicide.

It was a hard life but there were treats on special occasions such as Christmas Day and in 1877 the inmates were provided with a dinner of roast beef and plum pudding and entertained by a local musical group known as the Bourne Amateur Minstrels and even given small presents from underneath a Christmas tree.

Wealthy townspeople often dropped in on Christmas Day to see how their money was being spent, to receive the thanks of the inmates and to ensure that they appreciated what was being given and it is this image that has been described so evocatively by George Sims, a picture of wealth and privilege against a background of poverty and ill-luck:

And the guardians and their ladies,
Although the wind is east,
Have come in their furs and wrappers,
To watch their charges feast;
To smile and be condescending,
Put pudding on pauper plates.
To be hosts at the workhouse banquet
They've paid for - with the rates.

The Christmas treats improved over the years and a description from 1923 tells us that the Bourne workhouse was decorated and the extra food included pork pie for breakfast, roast beef, pork, hare and plum pudding for dinner, cake and jam for tea and afterwards the children received presents of toys while there were sweets for the women and tobacco for the men.

The guardians also ensured that the inmates were appreciative of this charity and one of them, an eleven-year-old boy, no doubt guided by matron, wrote thanking them for providing such a happy Christmas and the lovely toys which Santa had brought them. The letter concluded: "From one of the grateful little boys."

In 1863, the name of the institution was changed from the Bourne Union Workhouse to Waterloo Square in an attempt to remove the stigma attached to the original address, especially among unmarried mothers who often gave birth there. But improvements in social conditions brought about its gradual decline and in 1930, the premises were converted for use as a mental hospital known as the Bourne Public Assistance Institution. It was also referred to as Wellhead House but subsequently became St Peter's Hospital for mentally handicapped women and children, a facility which was eventually run down and patients moved out under the government's policy of care in the community.

The buildings stood empty until 1997 when the complex was bought by the printing firm Warners Midlands plc for an expansion of their business interests. It was demolished in 2001 and with it went part of this town’s social history while Sims’ monologue remains a stark reminder of the disgrace of the workhouse system.