English Heritage has never asserted that the Cleveland Street workhouse was the model for the one in Charles Dickens' Oliver Twist (Mudfog's workhouse, Letters, 19 March). In our advice to government on why the building should be listed, we stated the author lived close to it during an early period of his life and such proximity could have informed his views on the workhouse system. Certainly, the Cleveland Street building remains an important and increasingly rare part of London's social history. There is an indisputable association between the workhouse and a major figure in 19th-century workhouse reform, Dr Joseph Rogers, who as chief medical officer was witness to the appalling conditions at Cleveland Street. He campaigned for the reform of healthcare provision for the poor, so providing a significant step towards the socialisation of medical care in Britain. The building's grade II listing recognises that special historic interest.
Delcia Keate
Senior designation adviser, English Heritage