Crowthorn school

Image: © liz dawson Taken: 24 Feb 2007

IN 1872 Edgworth Children's Home was the first National Children's Home (NCH) to be established outside London. The original children's home was founded in 1872 and became Crowthorn School in 1952, a school for children with special educational needs. Crowthorn finally closed its doors on July 27, 2002 due to increasing financial and staffing pressures. The original home's founder was Rev Dr Thomas Bowman Stephenson whose vision was a place in the countryside that would provide the children who lived there with fresh air, a healthy lifestyle and -- perhaps most importantly in the Victorian era -- a stable home and sound education. The home became a self-contained village with its own butcher's shop, bakery, herd of cattle, stonemason, hospital, chapel -- even its very own quarry. The youngsters lived in surrounding houses -- all built with money donated by local benefactors. The first children arrived at the moorland site with nothing but their admission papers. In 2002, Crowthorn finally closed its doors. Financial and staffing difficulties were growing, and the remaining children were relocated to similar establishments around the country.

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