Cottage Homes
From the 1870s, a number of charitable and poor-relief organizations in the United Kingdom who were involved in providing residential care for children began to make use of accommodation known as cottage homes. Rather than a single, large building which was then more typically used to house children in care, the cottage homes model placed them into family-style groups, typically of around 15-25 children. Each group lived in a 'cottage' (in reality, it was often a fair-sized house) under the care of an adult 'house mother' (or a married couple as 'house-parents'). The family group principle was originally developed at the Rauhes Haus in Germany and at the agricultural colony for young delinquents at Mettray in France.[1] The first example of its use in the United Kingdom was the Home for Little Boys, at Farningham, opened in 1865.[2]
The cottage home developments constructed in the UK were often built in rural locations and in the style of a small village, with a number of the cottages arranged around a central green, or laid out as a village street. The sites usually included a school, infirmary, church, laundry, workshops, and sometimes a swimming bath.[2]
Around 115 Poor Law Unions in England and Wales set up cottage homes accommodation for children in their care.[2] Children's Charities that used cottage homes included the National Children's Home (sites at Harpenden, Frodsham and Bramhope) and Barnardo's (sites at Barkingside and Woodford Bridge).
References
- ↑ Higginbotham (2014), p. 71
- 1 2 3 Higginbotham (2014), p. 72
Bibliography
- Higginbotham, Peter (2014), The Workhouse Encyclopedia, The History Press, ISBN 978-0-7509-5671-0