Hi
First time posting so please let me know if there's anything I'm doing wrong!
Sorry pictures aren't the greatest quality!
History:
St. Peter’s Orphanage and School was established in 1900, following completion of the purpose-built premises. The building, which could accommodate 300 boys, was funded by the Catholic Church and run by the Sisters of the Charity of St. Vincent de Paul. The orphanage was later accredited for use as a school, in August 1901. For the next thirty five years or so, the school and orphanage continued to function as normal, until the onset of the Spanish Civil War in the 1930s, and the Second World War in the 1940s. As a result of war, and the rise of Fascism across Europe, St. Peter’s initially took in over 120 orphaned children from Spain; they were all from families that had been separated or completely torn apart. As conflict escalated, with the onset of WW2, all of the boys at St. Peter’s were transferred to St. Mary’s Home in Tudhoe. The Gainford site was then used, temporarily, to house evacuated inmates from St. Aiden’s Approved School in Widnes.
In the year following the transfer of inmates, St. Peter’s was accredited for use as an Approved School – a school intended to reform children who were guilty of an offence punishable by a prison sentence. However, the school only accepted up to 120 Roman Catholic boys, and they hadto be below the age of 13 on the date of theiradmission. Once incarcerated, the school provided all inmates with training in building, horticulture and carpentry. The school continued to run until 1984. It closed due to financial pressures and was subsequentlysold to a local consortium for £130,000. Throughout the latter half of the 1980s, up until the late-1990s, the building was used as a nursing home for the elderly.
Also found this video that I thought people may be interested in, a bit more history of the place
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First time posting so please let me know if there's anything I'm doing wrong!
Sorry pictures aren't the greatest quality!
History:
St. Peter’s Orphanage and School was established in 1900, following completion of the purpose-built premises. The building, which could accommodate 300 boys, was funded by the Catholic Church and run by the Sisters of the Charity of St. Vincent de Paul. The orphanage was later accredited for use as a school, in August 1901. For the next thirty five years or so, the school and orphanage continued to function as normal, until the onset of the Spanish Civil War in the 1930s, and the Second World War in the 1940s. As a result of war, and the rise of Fascism across Europe, St. Peter’s initially took in over 120 orphaned children from Spain; they were all from families that had been separated or completely torn apart. As conflict escalated, with the onset of WW2, all of the boys at St. Peter’s were transferred to St. Mary’s Home in Tudhoe. The Gainford site was then used, temporarily, to house evacuated inmates from St. Aiden’s Approved School in Widnes.
In the year following the transfer of inmates, St. Peter’s was accredited for use as an Approved School – a school intended to reform children who were guilty of an offence punishable by a prison sentence. However, the school only accepted up to 120 Roman Catholic boys, and they hadto be below the age of 13 on the date of theiradmission. Once incarcerated, the school provided all inmates with training in building, horticulture and carpentry. The school continued to run until 1984. It closed due to financial pressures and was subsequentlysold to a local consortium for £130,000. Throughout the latter half of the 1980s, up until the late-1990s, the building was used as a nursing home for the elderly.
Also found this video that I thought people may be interested in, a bit more history of the place