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We recently put out an appeal for people to send us details of homes we haven't got listed. And you responded in droves - thank you!
Here's some of the homes you told us about...
name? Saint Christopher`s Home for Children other names? St Kit's where? Ashbourne Road, Derby description? This home now has a page of its own
where? Barnsbury Road, Islington, Middlesex when did it open? when did it close? who ran it? Islington Board of Guardians description? "My grandmother recalled getting into trouble for talking to her older brother through an iron railing and was hauled upstairs to darn socks" records: London Family History Centre
where? The Croft, Cromer, Norfolk when did it open? when did it close? who ran it? Local authority-run description? Flint stone building
where? Eastry (nr Sandwich), Kent when did it open? c. 1930 when did it close? who ran it? Kent County Council description? 25 - 30 children in each cottage, 4 cottages of boys 2 of girls. "There was seven cottages they were all named after trees."
name? Father Berry's Homes, Liverpool aka Father Berry's Homes for Friendless Catholic Children; Liverpool Catholic Children's Protection Society
These homes included:
St Philip's Home for Street Trading Boys, Marble Street (opened 1892)
St. Vincent's Home, 105 Shaw Street (c. 1896)
Father Berry's Home for Catholic Children, 150 Brownlow Hill
There was also one of Father Berry's homes on Overbury Street
where? Liverpool records: Some records are held by the Liverpool Archives
The story of Father Berry's Homes seems to be a complicated one - with your help and a few clues from online research, we have put together this. Apologies for any mistakes!
1881 - The Liverpool Catholic Children's Protection Society was founded and ran several children's homes.
1891 - The Society of St Vincent de Paul was founded and The Homes for Friendless Boys were founded - under the auspices of the LCCPS.
1892 - Father John Berry opened St Philip's Home for Street Trading Boys which also came under the auspices of the LCCPS.
c. 1896 - Father Berry took over St Vincent de Paul's House, Shaw Street
1897 - Father Berry left Liverpool (he may have died soon after)
1897 - the LCCPS changed its name to Homes for Catholic Friendless Youths (Father Berry;'s Homes)
From the early 1900s (perhaps before then?), children were being emigrated from Father Berry's Homes, and two homes were set up in Canada for this purpose - the St. George's Home for Boys in Ottawa and the St. Vincent's Home for Girls in Montreal. We know that the home on Shaw Street was still there in the 1940s but from then on it is a bit of a mystery.
where? Plodder Lane, Farnworth, Lancs when did it open? 1896 when did it close? 1950s who ran it? The Guardians of the Poor description? Housed 40 girls and 40 boys. Four houses were built around a central green, together with a school. Each single-sex cottage accommodated thirty children and had a large living-room, kitchen, three dormitories, and a bedroom for the house-parents.
aka The Holt where? We've got a couple of different street names for this one - Holt Drive, Acorn Close, Birstall Road, all in Leicester when did it close? Still open in the 1980s who ran it? description? This description is from the official Charnwood site:"Originally a Private House built for a manufacturer in 1872. Subsequently adapted for use as a Children's Home but currently boarded up and empty. Fanciful and fussy freestyle combination of Tudor and Gothic Revival design elements. Designed by Joseph Goddard. Red brick with elaborate brick relief panels and heavy corbelled brick gable trim under roof overhang. Multi pitched and gabled clay tile roofs penetrated by hipped dormers and flat topped swept spire crowning angled oriel window. 2 storey polygonal bay fronting garden surmounted by half conical roof. Generally deep overhangs and dentilated eaves. Tall feature stacks."
name? Home for Motherless Children where? Burlington Lane, Chiswick when did it open? 1896 when did it close? who ran it? Set up by Robert Thomson Smith who ran the Christian organisation called the Chiswick Mission.
name? Julian Hodge Children's Home where? Ystradowen, Cowbridge when did it open? when did it close? who ran it? description? The home bears the name of Sir Julian Hodge, a Welsh businessman and philanthropist. His obituary is here.
where? Hassocks, East Sussex when did it open? 1950 when did it close? 1980 who ran it? It was a council-run home which at times was a remand home for girls and at other times a children's home. description? The person who let us know that Stonehouse was missing from our site gave her description of living there: "This was a remand home for girls waiting court appearances it was also used as a assessment centre It was run as a locked unit with schooling provided on site Each girl assigned a cleaning task a tin was kept for each girl to keep sweets and cigarettes these were rationed to three cigarettes a day even though the girls were under age to smoke this was permitted. The sweets could be given once a day. Clothes were forcably removed from children if a strip search was considered to be needed ie if something went missing. Baths gave no privacy and two girls would use the same water one after another staff would walk in f they felt like it. A lock down room was used with just a pot in it and was used for up to a week depending on what was felt necessary. It was a large house with ivy around the front a long winding drive led up to the door. It had two tennis courts. On first arrival a plush sitting room was entered. Once the social worker or police left you were led into a large hall then a small office where interviews took place the bedrooms held three beds and a bedside locker. A long corridor off the hall led to the dining room a beautiful wide staircase and the kitchen just off this. A corridor to the left of this led to a series of bathrooms without locks on he door toilets the same and a line of sinks. I found the life to be scary I was stripped of my clothes by two women who then stood making comments I was marched naked to the bathroom and forced into a Luke warm bath I was then given a very short see through dolly nightdress to wear marched up to a bedroom where two other girls were and told to get into bed I stood terrified scared and vulnerable the girls told me to get into bed before the head came back or there would be harsh consequences we were given daily chores to do.a school was on site although. Was there for not going to school I was not allowed to go. We were given sewing patchwork to do. The cook was the only member of staff who showed love or comfort to any of us. The staff said I was ungrateful and would b taken to see disabled children then I would appreciate my life the difficulty is unlike body deformities the internal ones cannot be seen."
East Sussex County Council gave this description of the Home to an enquirer making an enquiry about the Home in 2009 under the Freedom of Information Act. (The full enquiry is here.): East Sussex County Council (ESCC) acquired Stonepound House, Hassocks as a remand home for girls aged 8-17 and this was opened in 1950. It became a children's home in 1952 and was again used as a remand home in 1960. Certainly in the early 1960s there were other contributing authorities - London, Surrey, Kent and Brighton, as well as ESCC. It was still in use and run by ESCC in 1969. We believe that Stonepound House passed to West Sussex County Council (WSCC) as part of the local government reorganisation in 1974 but we have no definitive evidence of this. We also made some enquiries to West Sussex Record Office which suggests that it did pass to West Sussex. records? The same FOI request brought the response that case files etc. have not been preserved.
name? Maes-y-Coed Children's Home
where? Lanelay Terrace, Pontypridd when did it open? when did it close? who ran it? description?
where? Ullwell Road, Swanage when did it open? when did it close? who ran it? Local Authority description? "About 10-14 children were in there at a time. It was a brick L shaped building. It was connected to another home via an internal door to another home for older children. It was very pleasant. It was run by Margret Woodcock who lived in private flat with her husband. We were treated well."
where? when did it open? when did it close? who ran it? The Guardians of the Poor description? "according to family lore my maternal Grandfather, Alfred Barnard was superintendent at the Cottage Homes in Countesthorpe and then in Wrexham [circa 1918]"
name? Hornchurch Children's home aka St Leonard's Children's Home, Hornchurch where? 117 Hornchurch Road, Hornchurch, Essex when did it open? when did it close? who ran it? Local authority description? "13 cottages and a sick bay were situated along a long drive, each cottage had about 26 children, some were mixed others were boys or girls only" More on this home here.
where? Ty Gwyn Road, Cardiff when did it open? when did it close? who ran it? description? "large building over looking the motorway"
where? 103 London Road, Gloucester when did it open?
when did it close? 1960s who ran it? Local authority description? "about 40 children were in there at a time. It was a Victorian building, built during the 1880s"
aka The Lavant Home where? West Lavant, Nr Chichester when did it open? 1870s when did it close? 1930s who ran it? Local authority description? " From 1870ish to 1900 it was known as The Lavant Home 'An industrial School for Orphan Girls belonging to West Sussex' we have a copy of their annual report dated 1899. From 1900 to 1930s it was known as The Cottage Home and housed orphan boys. The Chichester Observer carried a report of one such boy, Leslie White 1918-2008 who was born in the workhouse in Chichester and spent some time at the Cottage Home Lavant. It reports 'His memories were of harshness and routine discipline. There was certainly not any love given to the boys. That's just the way it was in those days." Leslie White wrote a book called 'From the Workhouse to Vienna' clifford@whyte.wanadoo.co.uk in which he expands on his time in the Cottage Home. I believe the house was originally given by patron The Duke of Richmond, on whose estate, Goodwood, the house is situated. It may later have been leased by the local authority. The house passed into private ownership as a private dwelling in 1936. Flint built 'Duchess' style cottage."
name? St Anne's convalescent Home where? Station Rd or St George's Terrace, Herne Bay, Kent when did it open? 1890 ish when did it close? 1950s who ran it? description? "It was the former Pier Hotel. I don't remember much. we wore a uniform (school type) and in 1953 we went to school in wooden huts in a park."
We have had the following added by R - "The huts in the park must have been due to the great flood in 1953 when I was there."
where? Atlantic Way, Bideford, Devon. description? "This was a children’s nursery in the 1940s and then a children’s convalescent home until the 70s. Up until about fifteen or so years ago a school for autistic children operated from these premises but then moved to the former TB hospital site at East the Water, Bideford, about three miles away on the other side of the Torridge. The name Broomhayes was taken as well, under which this school continues to operate."
name? Webbery Manor Convalescent Home where? near Bideford, Devon. description? "A children’s convalescent home. Dates unknown (looks like 1938 ish to 1960s / 1970s)" name? Buckshaw House aka Lady Digby's House where? Howell, nr Sherborne when did it open? 1947 when did it close? 1950s who ran it? London County Council description? "There were 32 girls and 12 boys. It was a very nice place to live. Nice staff, good food. Very happy time of my life" name? St Andrewsaka Suntrap where? Eastoke, Hayling Island, Hampshire when did it open? 1930s when did it close? 1980s who ran it? description? There were 125+ children in separate boys' and girls' dormitories name? The Muller Convalescent Home for Children where? Lanthorne Road, Broadstairs when did it open? 1947 when did it close? 1950s who ran it? A Jewish charity
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