Damers Hospital, Dorchester, Dorset
The new Union workhouse was built in 1836 on Damers Road. Designed by George Wilkinson, it followed the popular cruciform (cross shaped) plan. It replaced a former workhouse built in 1616 to house 50 poor children and apprentice them to "some lawful trade, mystery, or manual occupation." A chapel was added in about 1870. After 1930 the former workhouse became Dorchester Public Assistance Institution. In 1948 it joined the newly formed National Health Service as Damers Hospital. By 2000, only the eastern entrance block, the chapel and a derelict cottage survived.
