Honingham Hall, Norwich, Norfolk
In 1940, Honingham Hall near Norwich, like a number of Britain's grand country houses, became home to a Barnardo's wartime evacuation centre. The owner of the Hall, Sir Eric Teichman, who continued in residence in a separate part of the building, was so impressed by what he saw of the visiting Barnardo's boys that he decided to bequeath the Hall to the charity. This transpired sooner than anticipated following Sir Eric's premature death in 1944 at the hands of an American airman he had caught poaching.
In 1947, the Hall was first used as a boys' temporary home then, from 1951, as a long-term home. The Hall was finally closed at the end of 1965, with the boys being transferred to the new Teichman House home, its name commemorating Sir Eric Teichmann.
The Hall buildings no longer survive.
Records
Note: many repositories impose a closure period of up to 100 years for records identifying individuals. Before travelling a long distance, always check that the records you want to consult will be available.
- Barnardo's 'Making Connections' and Family History Services — for enquiries relating the records of children formerly in the care of Barnardo's and those of other organisations absorbed by them.
Bibliography
- Barnardo, Syrie Louise, and Marchant, James Memoirs of the Late Dr Barnardo (Hodder & Stoughton, 1907)
- Batt, J.H. Dr. Barnardo: The Foster-Father of "Nobody's Children" (S.W. Partridge, 1904)
- Bready, J. Wesley Doctor Barnardo (Allen & Unwin, 1930)
- Higginbotham, Peter Children's Homes: A History of Institutional Care for Britain's Young (2017, Pen & Sword)
- Rose, June For the Sake of the Children: Inside Dr. Barnardo's: 120 years of caring for children (Hodder & Stoughton, 1987)
- Wagner, Gillian Barnardo (Weidenfeld & Nicholson, 1979)
Links
- The Barnardo's website.
- The Goldonian Website — memories and information from former Barnardo's children.
Except where indicated, this page () © Peter Higginbotham. Contents may not be reproduced without permission.
