Haddo House Home for Working Boys, London

In 1872, Haddo House, a home for working boys, was opened at 15 Bath Terrace, Union Road, London SE1. The home accommodated 34 boys aged 13 to 17 years of age. Haddo House was one of a number of such establishments run by the Homes for Working Homes in London (HWBL), a charitable organisation founded in 1870 by three old school friends — Tom Pelham, Arthur Kinnaird and Quintin Hogg. The home was 'for boys employed in situations and earning wages, who are without homes or friends to care for them.' Each boy made a weekly payment for his board and lodging — in the mid-1890s, this comprised a flat rate of 4s. 6d. for food, and if earning over 6s. a week also paid 2d. in the shilling of his wages for lodging.

At the home, a library, reading room and gymnasium were provided free. Each boy had to be be home by 9.30 p.m., attend some place of worship on Sunday and, on some nights in the week, classes for instruction. Temporary assistance was given to inmates out of work to enable them to maintain themselves until they found employment.

In 1886, Haddo House moved to larger premises at 88 Blackfriars Road, Southwark, London SE1, where up to 60 boys could be housed.

On July 9th, 1915, the establishment was accredited to operate as an Auxiliary Home, allowing it to accommodate boys licensed out from Certified Industrial Schools.

In the 1920s, the home moved to 1 The Grove, Highgate Road, London NW5. In March, 1929, it was announced that its Auxiliary Home certificate had been resigned; another announcement two weeks later cancelled the resignation. By 1935, the property's address had been renumbered as 163 Highgate Road. The home is thought to have closed around the time of the Second World War.

In 1967, HWBL merged with another charity, the Fellowship of St Christopher, to form the St Christopher's Fellowship.

None of the Haddo House premises survives.

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.

  • None identfied at present — any information welcome.

Census

Bibliography