Mother and Baby Homes — London W/WC Postal Districts
The establishments listed below are believed to have provided at least some accommodation for unmarried mothers and their babies, during at least some of their existence. They include maternity homes, before-and-after-confinement care homes, hostels for pregnant working girls or working mothers, and Irish County Homes. Homes that in their day were labelled Magdalen Homes are listed elsewhere.
Where applicable, the 'Places' column shows the accommodation provided for
mothers and babies (exact figures could change over time).
Note that over the years, many institutions changed location and/or name, sometimes more than once.
The accommodation provided, age of those admitted etc. at a home could also vary.
Name and Location | Founded/ | Closed/ | Classes Received, Weekly fees, etc. | Places | Admission Age |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Loreto House, 17 Pembridge Villas, Bayswater W11 | by 1949 | Before and After Care Home (V.D. cases). | 17m/10b | ||
Home for Deserted Mothers and their Infants, 35 Great Coram Street, Russell Square, Bloomsbury WC1 | 1864 | By 1890 | Young women who, being otherwise of respectable character, have for the first time become mothers of illegitimate children. | 16 | no limit |
St Agnes' Home, 53 Barrowgate Road, Chiswick W4 | by 1956 | Before and After Care Home. | 17m/4b | ||
Devon Nook Home for Unmarried Mothers, Duke's Avenue, Chiswick W4 | 1933 | RC unmarried mothers, before and after confinement. Girls taught to look after their babies and encouraged to keep them. | |||
Kensington Refuge, 2 Upper Phillimore Place, Kensington W8 | by 1930 | Fallen girls; 10s.; also mothers and babies. | 10 | 15-25 | |
North Kensington Home for Mothers and Babies, 65 Lancaster Road, Notting Hill W11 | 1912 | Mothers and babies, 6s. 6d. | 9m/9b | 15-25 | |
St Christopher's, 1 Devonshire Terrace, Paddington W2 | by 1949 | Before and After Care Home. | 10m/4b | ||
St Mary Magdalene Home, 14 (later 26) Ranelagh (now Lords Hill) Road, Paddington W2 | 1865 | Unmarried women before and after first confinement. £16 per annum in advance quarterly. 5s. a week for child after six weeks old. Queen Charlotte's letter must be given with each case. Remain a year. | 31 | 16-20 | |
Jewish Rescue Home Hostel, 1 Roseford Terrace, Shepherd's Bush W12 | 1919 | Unmarried Jewish mothers with their babies. | 6m/6b | under 25 | |
St Marylebone Workhouse Girls' Aid Home, 241 Uxbridge Road, Shepherd's Bush W12 | 1908 | Women with their first or second child; free from Marylebone workhouse; 10s. | 10m/10b | under 25 | |
St Margaret's Hostel, 466 Uxbridge Road, Shepherd's Bush W12 | 1917 | Unmarried mothers of business girl class, with their first babies; 15s. | 10 | under 30 | |
Jewish Rescue Home, Charcroft House, Roseford Gardens, Shepherd's Bush W12 | 1885 | c.1943? | Fallen Jewesses; remain in the Home at least one year; free; a few maternity cases received. | 15m/8b | under 25 |
St Margaret's House, 13 Burton Street, St Pancras WC1 | 1922 | Domestic servants; also mothers and babies. | 7 | 17-30 | |
Main Memorial Home for Deserted Mothers and their Infants, 49 Burton Crescent (now Cartwright Gardens), St Pancras WC1 | by 1890 | by 1949 | Young women otherwise of respectable character, before and after confinement; 5s. | 12 | 17-30 |
Homes of Hope, 5 Regent Square, Gray's Inn Road, St Pancras WC1 | 1860 | Mothers, with their first illegitimate children, after confinement; also preventive cases; payment if possible. | 20 | under 30 |
Except where indicated, this page () © Peter Higginbotham. Contents may not be reproduced without permission.