Somerset County Council Homes
Children's establishments run at some time in their history by Somerset County Council.
- Avonside School, 16-18 Walcot Parade, Bath
- 22 Underwood, Bathford
- St Joseph's / Eagle House School, 23 Church Street, Bathford
- 38 Mountainwood, Bathford
- Somerset Council Receiving Home, Northgate, Bridgwater
- Bawdrip House Family Centre, Uplands, Bawdrip, Bridgwater
- York House, 4 The Esplanade, Burnham-on-Sea
- Bridgwater Union / Somerset Council Cottage Home, Cannington House, 1 Fore Street, Cannington*
- 7 Auckland Way, Chard
- Axbridge Union Cottage Homes, Cliff View House, Tweentown, Cheddar*
- Plainsfield, Orchard Road, Crewkerne
- Exmoor House, Westerns, Dulverton*
- Exmoor Training Centre for Girls, Westerns, Dulverton*
- Hampton Cottage, Bath, Evercreech
- Frome Union / Somerset Council Home, Whitewell House, Whitewell Road, Keyford, Frome*
- Wells Union / Somerset Council Scattered Home, 42 Northload Street, Glastonbury*
- Brooklands Remand Home, Langport
- Sunnyside, Fenswood Road, Long Ashton
- Staunton Road, Milverton
- Olands Reception Centre, Milverton
- 1 Chestnut Way, Alcombe, Minehead
- 1 Corn Field, Alcombe, Minehead
- Bawdrip Residential Nursery, Puriton
- Hilworth House, Shepton Mallet
- Wells Union / Somerset Council Scattered Home, 14 Lawson Terrace, Wilfrid Road, Street*
- Hostel for Girls, 87 Staplegrove Road, Taunton
- Taunton Union / Somerset Council Home, Petersfield House, 1-3 Portman Grove, Cheddon Road, Rowbarton, Taunton*
- Wellington Union / Somerset Council Home, Chadwell House, 5 Mantle Street, Wellington*
- Wardleworth House, Wardleworth Way, Wellington
- 12 Clarence Road South, Weston super Mare
- Wincanton Union / Somerset Council Home (Boys), Rodber House, Shadwell Lane, Wincanton*
- 26 St John's Road, Sunningdale, Yeovil
- Preston Park House, Preston Road, Yeovil
- Yeovil Union / Somerset Council Cottage Homes, Rosebery Avenue, Yeovil*
* indicates link to pages on www.workhouses.org.uk.
Records
The involvement of local authorities in the running of children's homes dates from 1930, when they took over the running of the poor relief system previously administered by Boards of Guardians. Surviving records for council-run children's homes may be held in each council's own internal archives. Prior to 1991, however, when a legal requirement was introduced for councils to retain records of children leaving their care, the survival of such records is very variable. Contact details for local authorities in the UK can be found on the website of the Care Leavers Association (CLA). The CLA also provides guidance on accessing childhood care files, which are normally only open to the individuals they relate to.
Locating local authority records has been complicated by the various local government reorganizations that have taken place in recent times, such as the abolition of the London County Council in 1965, and the major nationwide restructuring in 1974 in which many administrative areas were created, amended or eliminated.
Older records may sometimes be placed with the relevant county or borough record office. Many of these repositories have online catalogues of their holdings and also contribute to the National Archives' Discovery database. Note that records containing personal data usually have access closed for a period of fifty years or more.
Older material relating to Somerset Council homes may exist at:
- Somerset Heritage Centre, Brunel Way, Langford Mead, Norton Fitzwarren, Taunton TA2 6SF.
Some records relating to council-run homes, for example inspection reports (though not resident lists etc.), are held by The National Archives (TNA). A closure period may apply to these records.
Bibliography
- Higginbotham, Peter Children's Homes: A History of Institutional Care for Britain's Young (2017, Pen & Sword)
- Urquhart, Gloria (2020) Nobody's Child: The True Story of Growing up in a Yorkshire Children's Home
- Cooke, Allan Institutionalized in a Children's Home: Skellow Hall 1950-1963 — a true story of a child and children in a home (2012, Authorhouse)
- Cummings, Les Forgotten: The Heartrending Story of Life in a Children's Home
- Limbrick, Gudrun The Children of the Homes: a century of Erdington Cottage Homes
Except where indicated, this page () © Peter Higginbotham. Contents may not be reproduced without permission.