Ancestry UK

Brenda Farman Nursery, Ealing, London

In September 1968, the National Children's Home (NCH) opened the Miss Brenda Farman Nursery at Alexandra House, Queen's Walk, Ealing, London W5. The purpose-built premises were on the site of a residence, also called Alexandra House, previously occupied by a branch of the Ealing Homes for Motherless Children — a charity set up by Robert Thomson Smith in 1896. When the charity was being been wound up in 1964, the property was offered to the NCH but the age and condition of the existing house was felt to be unsuitable for further use and so it was demolished.

The new building could accommodate up to twenty babies and under-fives. It included staff quarters at the front, with the children's wing and garden at the rear. The home also included facilities for the training of nursery nurses.

The home closed in 1992. The building no longer survives and the Alice Walk flats now occupy the site.

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.

  • Action For Children (formerly the National Children's Home). Can provide access to their own records for individuals who were adopted through the charity or who resided in one of its homes. Help also for those searching for family history information.
  • The National Archives, Kew, Richmond, Surrey, TW9 4DU. File MH 152/511 — reports on visits and closure.

Bibliography

  • Bradfield, William The Life of the Reverend Thomas Bowman Stephenson (1913, Kelly)
  • Curnock, Nehemiah The Story of the Children's Home (C.H. Kelly, 1901)
  • Higginbotham, Peter Children's Homes: A History of Institutional Care for Britain's Young (2017, Pen & Sword)
  • Horner, Francis Shadow and Sun (Epworth Press, 1920)
  • Howard, Philip J Philip: a Strange Child (Dalkeith Publishing, 2007)
  • Philpot, Terry Action For Children (Lion, 1994)
  • Walpole, Cecil F. Golden Links (Epworth Press, 1941)

Films