Past Life

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"It was so lonely," says Susan Swinton, the>childhood

The Building is That they continue to house in The Family well into the 20Th Century . Century. Bbc News Online speaks to a woman who grew up in a.

it was shown at The age of eight, Susan Swinton, in a room, together with her mother Joan, a 10-year-old sister and brothers aged six And One .

The Room was cramped - Only about 18ft (5. 5m) wide and strong. Cream color in flakes from the walls. Five iron beds with thin sheets, evenly spread, were on One side of The Room . There was not much other Furniture - a table, a stove, a small sink and a coal Bucket .

"I would stand for hours, just the view from The Window ," says Susan

At The Other end of the two barred Windows were. There were no curtains.

If you are trying to look at The World of the Beyond , her view was blocked by a high line of hedges.

A fierce Scottish matron The Children ran through a list of rules, most of which began with The Words : "You are not allowed to". It was said to them, you will never have to go into The Orchard on The Other side of The Building . You will never need to hang your Laundry out outside. You must never be fed through the velvet door was behind the staff quarters.

If you were caught with a violation, The Family was told they would be thrown back on The Streets . The Room , The Dark passage outside and a small courtyard were her domain.

The vast, factory-like building, which had been brought Susan and her family, a Victorian poor house - One of The First to be built in the country. The workhouses' hard Regime, the throw involved, and the "idle and profligate" to hard, monotonous tasks, such as rock-breaking, would become famous and notorious.

But the most shocking thing about Susan's case was That she and her family were born in The Times of Charles Dickens . You live in Southwell's work, the house, in Nottinghamshire, began in 1968 and lasted until 1971.

"I used to think for hours and hours with my little doll, the view from these Windows," when someone is about to come and take us away?'"

the way of The work house system had many prominent critics, including the writer Charles Dickens

At first, the work house, a kind of sanctuary for Susan and her siblings.

Until then, their existence was precarious, and shuffled from place to place as her father, Brian, moved in and out of Prison .

In the school, Susan (first from left), was stigmatized because of where they lived

For a while The Family lived in a dilapidated Victorian terrace in Newark, but then Brian moved in with his girlfriend, leaving His Family on the road.

"My Mother traipsed to the bus station, and we sat for four hours," recalls Susan. "At some point, the bus inspector asked us, what we do, and my mom said, 'We have nowhere to go otherwise." So we spent The Night at The Salvation army. "

Comes to the work house was initially a relief for Susan, but steadily the narrow limits of wore you down

the next day, The Family took to Southwell workhouse, then known as Greet house.

In the 20Th Century , workhouses became known as the social assistance institutions and were thought to be a temporary accommodation for the homeless, but the stigma with The Regime to endure.

"It was a relief, at first," Susan says. "My father wasn't always belting us. He was screaming and screaming at my mom. "

Susan has memories of The Building , a cave in The High hedges, the with her brother, and endless hours of reading Books from the library

Susan describes her mother, Joan, "a good mother", but the poor house meant Life , That you "abandoned" grind

But gradually the institution of The Family began down.

"seemed to be The Rules of The Place , As If they had come from the Victorian times," Susan recalls. "We were not to mix with anyone.

"My father was in Prison , but it felt As If we had been sent to Prison . "

her school attendance was sporadic, but, if you wanted to go, she remembers The Other kids calling them "Gypsies".

"Somebody might come in and went up The Stairs ," says Susan

"We were stigmatized because we lived in the poor house," she says.

The long, echoing spaces were terrifying for a child, especially at night.

"There were no lights on and the bit in which we lived, was completely Open - anyone could come in and went up The Stairs ," says Susan.

"It was a common corridor, ran to the toilet and I hated it, especially at night. I used to imagine the people Coming Up The Stairs to us. "

The whole family share a small space

And the living on top of each other, in a small room, took its toll.

"living in a room for so long with so many people, you said just lost all of your privacy," Susan.

"My Mother gave. It was her no matter whether she lived or died. They would either sit there, be quiet, or crying. "

With her mother, Joan, increasingly dependent on alcohol and sleeping pills, it was left to take care of Susan, for The Family .

Every week, the used, The Family , the Social Security money to buy food and pay for a bottle of sherry for her mother, and the rent to the guardian.

she also had to go to The Doctor , your mother's sleeping pills.

"It was do traumatic," she says. "I was sitting in the waiting room with a begging letter from My Mother , and everyone knew who I was and why I was there.

"If My Mother , you would not get your drink or tablets, in a temper. She was a really nice mom, but she had experienced so much.

"We have up to The Point where we would do That , without food, so That your sherry. "

It was Susan, the fact the most, as The Family cook - canned-food, mainly, cleaned, and the space That was investigated, every week.

"you had to make sure it was clean at all times - this was One of The Rules ," she says.

There are Only a few toys stuff, while second-hand dresses and shoes were provided by charity.

Susan was on The Left and take the responsibility for their family, as their mother's health deteriorates

"None of The Shoes fit always on the right, and I knew what it was to get a new hair cut," Susan says.

The Other families in the hostel moved to a couple of weeks, but Susan's family have always been overlooked again.

"you would not Only give us a Council House ," she says.

The General feeling was That it was forgotten.

"We were just leaving ourselves," she says. "That 's what I feel so angry about now. Why did it Take Three years to move us from the work house?"

A small yard was provided to the Only outside space for the poor house, 20Th Century inhabitants

Finally, The Family , with a Council-house in Southwell, and left the poor-house.

A few months after they stopped on The Left of The Building , to the homeless, accommodation, and instead was used by social services and for the care of older people. Sections of it was left.

in 1997 the former poor house was bought by The National Trust who restored it. The staff and volunteers dress up as Victorians and tell the visitors of The Building in the Past Life .

tourists can learn of Life , the poor house, by is a guided tour through the rooms

Among The Volunteers is Susan.

"people say they are surprised I want to go back there," She Said . "But I'm glad That people want to listen to me, because no One wanted to listen to me at the time.

"It is important, the history of the work house, is said. When I see people, the door openings lie in the shop, I think, 'What is your story, and you will ever want to hear someone?'"

The Room stayed in the Susan, was restored, as a near replica of what it looked like when she was there.

she says the visitors are shocked, if you happen to be on the relatively modern Furniture in the middle of the Victorian costumes and settings of the rest of the work in-house.

"Sometimes I think people say That I'm in cloud cuckoo land, That I lived here," She Said .

"I have a lot of anger in me for the neglect suffered we of social services and The Professionals , who saw what had happened to us and did nothing to help us.

"But my volunteer work helps me in dealing with the anger in me. "

you may also be interested in: Susan now volunteers in The Building , which is owned by The National Trust

In later years, Susan had been drifting apart from her siblings. At the age of 60 years, she is married with adult children, and has just retired from her work as a shop manager.

"I felt so, so lonely the whole time we lived there. If you live in a place like this, no neighbors, no friends, you really know what to feel isolated. It is a really deep down the thing That is always with me. "

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Source of news: bbc.com