The parish of St James Piccadilly erected a workhouse on Poland Street in 1725 for the able-bodied poor. This was taken over by the newly-formed Westminster Union in 1868. The workhouse closed in or shortly after 1913.
In 1914 the site was used for housing wartime refugees - 200 Russian Jews, mostly from Antwerp. It became the Poland Street Institute for Jews. 1925 much of the site was reconstructed as a garage, but not the western section where the plaque is found.
More information at which supplies our image of the workhouse in 1809.
showing the area covered by all the different Poor Law Unions, including Westminster.
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