If you were unfortunate to have been an "inmate" of the Winchcombe Workhouse in December 1915 your harsh life may have been made slightly more bearable thanks to an evening concert featuring music played on this fine instrument, a harmonium or American organ. The harmonium is in full working order and is available for museum visitors to play. All we ask is that you treat it gently, as it is rather delicate! It was made in 1894 in the USA by Mason and Hamlin, a Massachusetts firm which exported instruments to Britain. The Harmonium was sold by the Cheltenham firm, Dale Forty. We do not know exactly when it arrived in Winchcombe's Workhouse. It will have been used for occasional concerts and perhaps for Sunday worship. The Workhouse closed in 1934, and the building, in Langley Road, was pulled down in 1960. Winchcombe Day Centre now stands on the site.