Last week volunteers checking out the cellars under the Master’s House came across a rare survival – an early Victorian chamber pot. The pot is in perfect condition, made of salt-glazed earthenware and was almost certainly used by inmates during the 19th Century. Trustee John Hainsworth said: ‘Workhouse artefacts of any kind are quite rare, and this is an exciting find.’
The historic workhouse will be open free of charge all weekend from 11.00 to 5.00 under Civic Trust Wales’s Heritage Open Days scheme. There will be guided tours and an exhibition on workhouse life and history as well as information on the building’s current role as a Community Enterprise for Arts, Education, Environment and Heritage. On the Sunday – and during the following week – ‘Interventions’ by artists from Hungary and from Wales will be on view in the Workhouse Gallery. A number of craft workshops will be open, there will be live music in the courtyards, and besides more appetising refreshments visitors will have the chance to sample authentic workhouse gruel made to a Victorian recipe. And the newly discovered potty will be on show for the first time.