The material below is taken from the web page Unless otherwise indicated, content is copyright Peter Higginbotham and may not be re-published without permission.
Ancestry UK

Farringdon House Approved School, Farringdon, Devon

The Farringdon House Approved School for Senior Boys, near Farringdon, Devon, was in operation by at least 1941 when it could house 54 boys. It relocated for part of the war years to Sandford Orleigh near Newton Abbot.

In 1955, the school moved to Whipton and merged with the Devon and Exeter Approved School for Boys, the new establishment briefly known as Farringdon School before becoming formally known as the Northbrook School in 1957.

In January 1960, the Farringdon premises were taken over by the Devon and Exeter Training School for Girls which then adopted the name of the Farringdon House School. In 1973, the School became a Community Home with Education under the control of Devon County Council. The Home closed in 1993 and its assets passed to the newly constituted Farringdon House Trust to provide grants relating to children or young people in their education and training.

The Farringdon premises still survive, now converted to residential and business use.

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.

  • Devon Heritage Centre, Great Moor House, Bittern Road, Sowton Exeter EX2 7NL. Holdings include: Admissions and Discharge registers (1942-63, 1970-73); Licensing registers (1950-73); Meeting minutes (1942-55); Managers' attendance book (1942-56); Headmaster's report book (1949-51); Log books (1942-56). The archives include number of items where it is unclear as to precisely which institution they may relate.

Bibliography

  • Higginbotham, Peter Children's Homes: A History of Institutional Care for Britain's Young (2017, Pen & Sword)
  • Hyland,Jim Yesterday's Answers: Yesterday's Answers: Development and Decline of Schools for Young Offenders (1993, Whiting and Birch)
  • Millham, S, Bullock, R, and Cherrett, P After Grace — Teeth: a comparative study of the residential experience of boys in Approved Schools (1975, Chaucer Publishing)

Except where indicated, this page () © Peter Higginbotham. Contents may not be reproduced without permission.