Hanbury House, Marylebone, London
In 1870, Hanbury House, a home for working boys, was opened at 22 Dorchester Place, Blandford Square, Marylebone. The home accommodated up to 48 boys aged 13 to 17 years of age. Hanbury House was one of the first 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. By 1912, the rates had increased slightly, with the boys earning 6s. paying 5s. a week; boys earning 7s. paying 5s. 6d.; 8s.—5s. 10d.; 9s.—6s. 3d.; after this, an additional 6d. for every 1s. rise in wages.
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 the late 1890s, Hanbury House moved to new premises at 63 Warwick Avenue, Maida Vale, where around 40 boys could be housed.
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.
The Warwick Avenue property still stands.
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.
Bibliography
- Higginbotham, Peter Children's Homes: A History of Institutional Care for Britain s Young (2017, Pen & Sword)
Links
- None identified at present.
Except where indicated, this page () © Peter Higginbotham. Contents may not be reproduced without permission.
