Shadows of the Workhouse

When Jennifer Worth became a midwife in the 1950s, she joined an East End where many lives were touched by the shadow of the workhouse. For, although the institutions were officially abolished in 1930, in reality many did not close until several decades later.

In the follow-up to her bestselling Call the Midwife, Jennifer Worth tells the true stories of the people she met. There’s Peggy and Frank, who were separated in the workhouse when their parents died – until Frank’s strength and determination enabled him to make a home for his sister. Jane was a bright, lively child, whose spirit was broken by cruelty, until she found kindness and love later in life. Then there is the matchmaking nun, Sister Julienne, and Sister Monica Joan, who ends up in the High Court.