Monument record FML 207 - Framlingham Parish Workhouse

The workhouse was built within the inner court of Framlingham Castle in 1664 to serve as the parish workhouse as stipulated in the will of Sir Robert Hitcham who owned the castle (died 1636). Due to being built from red brick it has come to be known as 'The Red House' and the earliest reference of this name being used is from a 1699 document. It is one of a very small number of purpose-built workhouse buildings to survive in England from the 17th century. It was not set up as a residential establishment and instead provided spinning and weaving work for the poor of Framlingham. The north range of the castle (still surviving at the time) was utilised as a school with quarters for the school master, the school being a separate institution esteblished under Sir Robert Hitcham's will.

In 1666 the workhouse was used as a pest house during the plague.

During a poorly documented period the building did not operate as a workhouse and by the 1690s was home of a bailiff named John Earl who ran an alehouse on the premises.
In 1697 an attempt was made to procure the, at the time, still standing north range of the castle for use as a workhouse, unfortunately this range was sold in 1699 for the value of its building materials and largely demolished in early 1700 with only a small portion surviving. An alternative proposal was conceieved by the trustees of Hitcham's Estate to use the castle as a workhouse for 10 poor children who would live on the site and learn to spin. The schoolroom and workroom were to be located in what was left of the north range. By 1708 it had been decided to admit adults rather than children.

In 1729 a large new block was constructed adjoining the north elevation of the Red House on the site of the Medieval Great Hall which included lodging rooms and work rooms. This new block was built by the parish. At this time the Red House and the remnant of the north range were still being used by Hitcham's Charity and were separate from the operations in the new parish-built block. The north range was incoporated into the parish workhouse in 1797 and the Red House in 1813.

When the New Poor Law was introduced in 1834 the parish was absorbed into the Plomesgate Union who built a new union workhouse at Wickham Market in 1836-37 (see WKM 013). For a few years the Framlingham workhouse operated as a union workhouse until residents were moved to the new premises.
Shortly after the residents had been moved, the old parish workhouse block was used as a Town Hall. The northern block in 1841 became a girl's free school and the Red House became a house for the boy's school schoolmaster.

In 1913 Framlingham Castle was placed in the guardianship of the Ministry of Works and preservation works began. Today the buildings are used as the visitor centre for Framlingham Castle. (S1)