Peter Townsend took the photographs illustrated here in 1958 and 1959 when he visited 173 care homes in England and Wales. The choice of photographs appears to relate to his intention to look at contrasts between different types of homes. He also wanted to use them as part of his evidence of inequality and neglect in residential care for older people in some areas of the UK. In his book, The Last Refuge, Townsend asked the question: 'Are long-stay institutions for old people necessary in our society, and, if so, what form should they take?'
He used the photographs to complement his text. We have sought to replicate Townsend's approach when we take photographs ourselves during the project.
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There are no signs of personal possessions in this large women's dormitory, located in a former workhouse. There is no privacy - the beds are very close together, with chamber pots visible under two of them. There are 'communal' dressing tables, what may be lino on the floor with strip lighting above, and a screened-off area at the far end of the room. There are also no pictures on the walls. Considerable resources were put into making the former workhouses more homely but, as this photograph shows, they singularly failed. It is a bleak scene, giving evidence for Townsend's argument for the improvement of residential care.
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In complete contrast is this photograph taken in a local authority post-war Home. The room appears to belong to just one woman, who has personalised her room with a colourful bedspread, numerous ornaments, photos and momentoes, a calendar, clock and a vase of flowers. She is active - sitting on her bed doing some embroidery, a folded newspaper beside her. The conditions in this home approximate closer to a better standard of care argued for by Townsend.
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Although there are no carpets on the floor of this purpose-built home, the scene appears companionable, with tea and sandwiches provided at small round tables, in a designated dining area. Daily life in this purpose-built home appears, from these photographs, to be of a higher standard than that experienced by residents of the former workhouses. |
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This photograph, taken in a former workhouse is, by comparison, bleak and institutional. The windows are too high to see out of, there is no carpet on the floor. Most striking is the recessed dormitory, part of the same room as the dining hall, but separated by screens. |
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In this photograph, the two women wear ill-fitting institutional coats, utilitarian hats, wrinkled stockings and identical lace-up shoes, and stand outside a door leading into 'D BLOCK'. The sign is possibly a left-over of the workhouse days - and maybe also an indication that other things in the home may not have changed very much either. |
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In complete contrast are these two elegant women, wearing sheer stockings, smart court shoes and stylish clothes: a far more positive image. These two photographs are set side by side in the book. They appear to tell contrasting stories of social class and inequalities - emphasising Townsend's point about the variability of care in different areas and different types of home. |
We have also undertaken photographic 'then and now' comparisons, using both our own colour and Townsend's black and white photographs, in which we seek to highlight historical change.