Out of the Darkness

Posted on by Louise Bunting

The Light Ahead

darkness creeps

sticky tendrils dragging ever deeper

into the depths of

fear and hate and hopelessness

desolation clinging with tar-like viscosity

*

but don’t give up

*

glimpse the light that lies ahead

 encompassing hope of better times to come

leave the darkness behind

and embrace the future’s bright promise

*

don’t give up

*

never give up

This week’s photo was taken at Southwell Workhouse a few weeks ago.

The Victorian workhouses were places designed to help the poorest members of society, giving them a roof over their heads, clothes, food and work, but they were also intended to be harsh, unpleasant places in order to deter all but the very poorest from applying for help. The able bloodied men and women who lived within the Workhouses were labelled as being ‘idle and profligate’, as they were unable to support themselves without aid. The cause of their hardship, however, was actually more often a simple lack of available work, but that fact didn’t prevent hem from being stigmatized.

If you’d like to know more about Southwell Workhouse, and workhouses in general, you can check out my mum’s (Millie Thom’s) post about the place here.

9 thoughts on “Out of the Darkness”

    1. Thank you, Joy. 🙂 The workhouses of Victorian England were very harsh places. I imagine it would have been very easy to give up all hope once you’d entered such a place.

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  3. I went over to your Mum’s post, because I wanted to compare the current project with what I saw when it first opened. Then, only the Women’s Refuge was furnished. Thanks for the link

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    1. You’re welcome. Despite having lived around here for my entire life, I’d never actually visited it before! It’s a fascinating place. Thanks for visiting, Derrick. 🙂

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