Ancestry UK

Holmwood, Bristol, Gloucestershire

In 1943, the National Children's Home (NCH) opened a mixed home for thirty children in a house known as Holmwood on Passage Road at Westbury-on-Trym, near Bristol. In 1954, the accommodation was increased by the building of an annexe, Perkins House, in the grounds of the home.

NCH Holmwood, Bristol, 2013. © Peter Higginbotham

The home continue in use into the 1970s. The property is now a nursing home.

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.

  • Action For Children (formerly the National Children's Home). Can provide access to their own records for individuals who were adopted through the charity or who resided in one of its homes. Help also for those searching for family history information.
  • The National Archives, Kew, Richmond, Surrey, TW9 4DU.
    File ED 69/533 — Nursery school (1960-64).
    File BN62/2967 — Reports of visits (1964-69).

Bibliography

  • Bradfield, William The Life of the Reverend Thomas Bowman Stephenson (1913, Kelly)
  • Curnock, Nehemiah The Story of the Children's Home (C.H. Kelly, 1901)
  • Higginbotham, Peter Children's Homes: A History of Institutional Care for Britain's Young (2017, Pen & Sword)
  • Horner, Francis Shadow and Sun (Epworth Press, 1920)
  • Howard, Philip J Philip: a Strange Child (Dalkeith Publishing, 2007)
  • Philpot, Terry Action For Children (Lion, 1994)
  • Walpole, Cecil F. Golden Links (Epworth Press, 1941)

Films