Wedding bells in the air
Weddings could soon be held at Southwell Workhouse for the first time.
The National Trust has applied for a licence to hold marriages at the building, which is listed for protection, from next year.
Ceremonies would take place in the committee room, or the master’s office for smaller services.
House manager Wendy Purvis said the workhouse was ideal for marriages.
“We started toying with the idea of weddings a while ago. We thought it would be an interesting venue and different,” she said.
“It is also a bit of a nod towards austerity too in these times of weddings on a budget.
“The committee room in particular is a lovely space and it easily holds 50 to 60 people. For a ceremony people could bring things in because, with its white walls and stone floors, it could be a spectacular backdrop for large flower arrangements.”
Wendy Purvis said they had checked the archives and could not find any references of weddings taking place in the building.
She said: “We have had lots of births of course but we don’t think that there has been an actual wedding, although we know there have been other services here.
“We have had quite a few people who met here and who have got married but no wedding services.”
Wendy Purvis said they had not yet finalised details for the ceremonies but hoped workhouse volunteers would dress as characters such as the master, matron, school mistress and paupers to greet guests, if requested.
She said: “We are still in the application process and we have got to go through more of the paperwork but fingers crossed it will be fine and everything will go ahead.
“It will definitely be something quite different.”
The workhouse was the first of its kind to be built in the country.
It was founded by Rev John Becher in 1824 to house the poor after the introduction of a harsher welfare system.
The last inmates left in 1948 when the modern welfare system began.
It was used as temporary accommodation for the homeless until 1976 before being taken over by The National Trust in 1997. It opened to the public in 2002.
It is the least altered workhouse structure in existence today.
