In 1835, the Blean Union Workhouse, designed by William Edmunds, was built on four acres south of Herne Common. The design was based on Sir Francis Bond Head's "Plan of a Rural Workhouse for 500 Persons", a publication of the Poor Law Commission. To keep costs down, no outside drains were added, and the building was windowless. Discipline was severe. A nine-year-old girl was once punished for a small offense by being forced to remain overnight in the mortuary with a corpse; however, the Master and Matron were dismissed as a result.