In February 1910, Winston Churchill visited Hackney's first ever Labour Exchange. To coincide with this anniversary, Hackney Museum is hosting a commemorative exhibition.

In his role as President of the Board of Trade, Churchill was charged with tackling the rising unemployment Britain was experiencing at the turn of the 20th century. His solution was for Government to bring together people looking for work and employers looking for workers. The result was the 1909 Labour Exchanges Act which saw one of Britain's first Labour Exchanges open in Hackney on 1 February 1910.

At the time, Churchill said: 'These Labour Exchanges are a piece of social mechanism and are, I believe, absolutely essential to any well-ordered community. The exchanges I have visited today are all painted green which, I believe, is the colour of hope.'

100 Years and Counting - Helping People into work since 1910 has been commissioned by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP). It features objects and photographs loaned by the People's History Museum in Manchester to recreate an Exchange office of 1910, complete with period furniture, equipment and signage. The DWP have also donated photographs from their archives. The exhibition explores Labour Exchanges as they evolved into the Job Centres of today, looking at how their role has evolved in line with a century of social changes.

Ceryl Evans, Hackney Council's Head of Museum and Culture said: 'The Labour Exchanges were a revolutionary idea at the time.  The state had never been involved in matching workers with employers before. This was a dynamic move to tackle a rise in unemployment and the impact that lack of money had upon the health and living conditions of Britain's growing population. There was no welfare state at the time so if people were unable to work, they became reliant upon charity and could descend very swiftly into poverty. There were three entrances at Labour Exchanges, one for men, one for women and one for juveniles. Most people left school by the age of 12 and started to work to support their families. The youngest person recorded as looking for work at the Labour Exchange was an 11 year old boy. The exhibition brings home the huge changes in the past century and will really take visitors down memory lane.'

The exhibition runs from now until 6 March. It is open to the public and free. Hackney Museum is located at 1 Reading Lane, Hackney E8 1GQ and open from Tuesday to Saturday. For more information call: 020 8356 3500 or email: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

This is an edited version of a Hackney Council Press Release