Glamorgan County Council Homes
Children's establishments run at some time in their history by Glamorgan County Council.
- Children's Home, Penybryn, Llwydcoed, Aberdare
- Family Group Home, 19 Heol-y-Mynydd, Bryncethin, Aberkenfig
- Family Group Home, 10 Lilac Grove, Baglan
- Merthyr Tydfil Union / Glamorgan County Cottage Homes, Bargoed*
- Girls' Training Centre, 15-16 Park Crescent, Barry
- Cardif Union Scattered Homes, 15-16 Park Crescent, Barry*
- Family Group Home, 2 Elizabeth Avenue, Colcot, Barry
- Remand Home /Community Home, The Old Rectory, Hayes Road, Sully, Barry
- Residential Nursery / Children's Home, Cartrefle, Merthyr Mawr Road, Bridgend
- Bridgend & Cowbridge Union / Glamorgan County Cottage Homes, Merthyr Mawr Road, Bridgend*
- Children's Home, Preswylfa, Merthyr Mawr Road, Bridgend
- Neath Union / Glamorgan County Cottage Homes, Main Road, Bryncoch*
- Family Group Home, 14 Waunfach Street, Caerphilly
- Family Group Home, 24 Heol Aneurin, Penyrheaol, Caerphilly
- Family Group Home, Ystrad Mynach, Caerphilly
- Family Group Home, 70 Llygard-yr-Haul, Caewern
- Glenside Home / Reception Centre, Tygwyn Road, Penylan, Cardiff
- Family Group Home, 12 Penywern, Croeserw
- Family Group Home, 30 Garth Avenue, Glyncoch
- Family Group Home, 57 Chain Road, Graignedd, Glynneath
- Family Group Home, 47 Gower View Road, Penyrheol, Gorseinon
- Family Group Home, Greenbanks, Tirmynydd Road, Three Crosses, Gowerton
- Family Group Home, 41 Penycae, Ystrad Mynach, Hengoed
- Family Group Home, 14 Abbey Road, Croft Coch, Kenfig Hill
- Family Group Home, 7 Gwelfor, Cot Farm Estate, Cefn Cribbwr, Kenfig Hill
- Family Group Home, 41 Plas-y-Delyn, Lisvane
- Family Group Home, 9 Elm Road, Llanharry
- Family Group Home, 11 Hill View, Tynant, Beddau, Llantwit Fadre
- Family Group Home, 18 Leigh Close, Boverton, Llantwit Major
- Pontypridd Union / Glamorgan Council Cottage Homes (Garth Olwg), Cartefi Tre Illtyd, Church Village, Llantwit Vardre*
- Merthyr Tydfil Union / Glamorgan Council Cottage Homes, Corner House Street, Llwydcoed*
- Family Group Home, Penbyryn, Llwydcoed
- Family Group Home, 21 Brookfield Road, Garth, Maesteg
- Family Group Home, 33 Beacon's View, Cimla, Neath
- Residential Nursery / Children's Home, The Laurels, Lewis Road, Neath
- Glamorgan Reformatory / Farm School for Boys, Ty Segur, Neath
- Family Group Home, 8 Castle Avenue, Penarth
- Family Group Home, Woodlands, 26 Victoria Road, Penarth
- J.A. Gibbs Memorial Home, Headlands School, Paget Place, Penarth
- Family Group Home, 15-16 Penlan, Penclawdd
- Family Group Home, 30 Parc Hendry Crescent, Penclawdd
- Family Group Home, 5 Brynpobydd, Pencoed
- Family Group Home, 14 Heol Danyrodyn, Pentyrch
- Family Group Home, 29 Cefn Llan, Pontardawe
- Residential Nursery / Children's Home, Maesycoed, Pontypridd
- Hostel for Boys, Fairways, Sandfields, Port Talbot
- Family Group Home, 108 Suffolk Place, Porthcawl
- Family Group Home, 31 Pant Mortha, Porthcawl
- Family Group Home, 21 Parc Bryn, Burrows Estate, Skewen
- Family Group Home, 33 Pantycelan Place, St Athan
- Family Group Home, 67 Edgemoor Close, Upper Killay, Swansea
- Family Group Home, 21 Brynheulog, Treherbert
* 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 Glamorgan Council homes may exist at:
- Glamorgan Archives, Clos Parc Morgannwg, Leckwith, Cardiff CF11 8AW.
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.