Waldernheath Girls' School, Harrogate, West Yorkshire
During the Second World War, the Holy Trinity Girls' Approved School in Liverpool was evacuated to Harrogate. The School took up residence in a property known as Waldernheath at 60 Cornwall Road, previous used as a girls' school and as a women's residential training centre. The Holy Trinity School was never to return to Liverpool and on 4th June, 1946, it future in Harrogate was marked by its official renaming as the Waldernheath Girls' School. The establishment continued in its role as an Approved School for up to 40 Junior Girls, aged under 15 at their date of admission.
On October 28th, 1946, the property at 61 Cornwall Road was formally taken over as part of School's premises, with this arrangement ending on December 4th, 1950.
The School closed on September 30th, 1965. In more recent times, the property was occupied by the Waldernheath care home for the elderly, later renamed Alexander Court. The home was forced to close in 2014 after its licence was withdrawn by the Care Quality Commission.
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.
- The National Archives, Kew, Richmond, Surrey, TW9 4DU. Holdings include: Admissions and progress register (1959-65); Licensing register (1948-65); Daily logbook (1957-61). (All closed for 75 years.)
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)
Links
- The Therapeutic Care Journal — has a number of articles relating to Approved Schools.
Except where indicated, this page () © Peter Higginbotham. Contents may not be reproduced without permission.