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Ancestry UK

Ellen Terry Home for Blind Mentally Defective Children, Reigate, Surrey

In January 1923, the renowned actress Ellen Terry, in her role as president of the Braille and 'Servers of the Blind' League, launched an appeal to raise money to establish a home for blind and mentally impaired children. A property known as Sandfield House was acquired at 44 Wray Park Road, Reigate, and became the Ellen Terry Home for Blind Mentally Defective Children. It could accommodate 18 'imbecile and feeble-minded blind children' up to the age of 12 years.

n 1934, another house, named Daffodil House, was erected in the grounds of the home.

Ellen Terry Home children's band, Reigate, date unknown. © Peter Higginbotham

In 1948, the home was brought under the umbrella of the National Health Service and became affiliated with the Fountain Hospital at Tooting Graveney. At the same time, the home was refurbished and its capacity increased. Additional places were created in 1950 when the properties old coach house and a laundry were converted into an Occupations Centre. The home then had fifty places. In 1974, management of the home passed to St Helier and Queen Mary's Hospital District, part of the Merton, Sutton and Wandsworth Area Health Authority

The home closed in 1986. The buildings no longer survive and the northern part of the site is now occupied by the flats of Wraymead Place. A new Ellen Terry Day Unit (now Mytime Reigate) was erected in part of of the southern section of the site, with its entrance from Oak Road.

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.

  • Surrey History Centre, 130 Goldsworth Road, Woking, Surrey GU21 6ND. Has a variety of material relating to the home.

Bibliography

  • None identified at present.

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