The Workhouse In Briercliffe Road

A Memory of Briercliffe.

My mother, was born in the workhouse in Briercliffe Road, Burnley in 1926, and never mentioned it until just before her death. She was full of shame and didn't meet her real mother until she was about 16. In those days, the workhouse was the lowest point you would reach, and must of been horrific, but she was a great mum and grandmother. I think the workhouse was partly destroyed and turned into a hospital. She worked in the cotton mills when she was twelve, working every day. Finally, she decided to become a nurse, and things started to get a bit better.She met my da after the war, and married in 1951. We all lived in Winchester, a million miles away from those dark days she must of endured.