Archaeologists uncover colourful walls and fireplaces of London workhouse

Archaeologists discovered rooms with fireplaces and blue plaster on the walls that suggest the workhouse was not intended to be a place of punishment for inmates. Photograph: MOLA

Over its 200-year history, its premises were cramped and overcrowded, bleak and bug-ridden. However, when the St Pancras workhouse opened in 1809, it was meant to bring comfort to those who had fallen on hard times, site excavations have revealed.

Archaeologists from Mola (Museum of London Archaeology) have been astonished to uncover “a significant portion of these original buildings” and “incredible new details about the lives of the residents and masters”.