Wilfred Middlebrook, in The Changing Face Of Warminster, first written in 1960, updated in 1971, noted:
In 1836 the building of a workhouse began at Sambourne, to supersede the one founded in 1727 at the Common. In 1928 the workhouse inmates were transferred to Frome, and Sambourne was used only for the relief of casuals. Renovations began in 1932, and in 1933 the new-styled Public Assistance Institution was open once more to house the homeless.
After the last War further alterations were made to the buildings, making the place into a modern hospital, one that cares specially for the old and the infirm. The Institution was taken over by the Hospital Management Committee on 5th July 1948. Gradually the grim conception of the old Union was removed, rubber flooring replacing the cold flags, and delicately-tinted colours replacing the white-washed walls.
In 1952 there were still greater improvements, the old building now being practically unrecognisable, transformed over the years from a derelict building to an up-to-date hospital. The old Guardians Committee Room was turned into a ward but casual wards were still used, giving a warm bed and other conveniences to wanderers who still travel the country in search of work. They were provided with a special room where they could clean themselves and their clothes before leaving the next day. The average number using these casual wards was about 170 a month, the largest recorded figure since the War being 225. In 1952 there were 72 hospital patients and 38 welfare patients, the oldest being Mrs. Newton of Dilton Marsh, aged 97. A link with the lost village of Imber is to be found in the hospital chapel – the pews and central matting coming from Imber Church.
An amusing article on the old Warminster Union was published in 1897, referring to a boom in the sale of snuff. It continues “one fact which may have bearing on the new boom is that there is a Board of Guardians in a remote country district who systematically take snuff as an aid to the discussion of their weekly business. They are the Guardians for the Union of Warminster, the little Wiltshire town recently referred to for its historical pew and the trouble it brewed. The Warminster Guardians are inveterate snuff-takers; it is even alleged that the lady members have succumbed to the practice and are as capable and ready to transact this item on the agenda as any other.”