people

OUTSIDE FRIENDS

DORIS TIERNEY and GLADYS TAR. I was allowed to go to tea with them. GLADYS played the piano and asked her dad "is it right?".
GLADYS'S family were: HAROLD, KATHLEEN, RONNY and JIMMY.
We were singing as we walked along: "Ronny, Tommy, Tar, Tay". Ronny jumped off his bike, gave Gladys a clip round the ear and jumped back on his bike and zoomed off.

MRS NIXON (Old Nick) my foster mother....

She was transferred to the Cottage Homes from Ponton Road Remand Home.
SHBG/209/2 LIST OF OFFICERS AND SERVANTS
MARY NIXON, ROSE COTTAGE, Start date 2-1-1911,
salary: £22 inc on 1/10 by £2 to £28
(£3 in lieu of Beer Allowance)!
(*increases to £31
£36
£71
£76
£78

CISSIE DOROTHY ALLEN ("Wiggy" Allen) my foster mother's helper
Start date 8-2-1926
salary:
£35-11-0
£03-19-0
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£47-8-0

FROGSPAWN

When it was discovered that I was hard of hearing I was taken to visit a doctor at County Hall, London. MISS. ROSE took me on the train. Each time we arrived MISS. ROSE bought me a pear - a real treat. The doctor's name was DR. H.G. WELLS. I think his treatment was in the experimental stage - to say the least. His miracle cure for my deafness was to smear a concoction on my back, yuk! It had the consistency of frog spawn. I had to keep it on for twenty-four hours.
The trips were around the time of the 1935 Silver Jubilee celebrations for King George V of Great Britain. JUBILEE, as I remember being in a crowd of people and watching a rehearsal.
MISS ROSE married ALEXANDER MACLAURIN which I found on David Axtell's web site.

MATRON

I didn't know that I was hard of hearing - I assumed no one else could hear the teacher - so that was why I didn't wake up when the morning bell rang! I am sure my hearing problem came about because of the following: I was sitting on a chair facing Matron while she checked the wear and tear on my shoes. When she saw that they were down at the heel she gave me such a thumping thwack!* on the side of my head that I fell onto the floor and saw stars - I must have passed out for a moment. Did I tell anyone? No - who was there that would listen? After that I was given boots to wear. Tricky for tap-dancing - but I managed.

LAUNDRESS

We would beg the Laundress for the privilege of delivering bags of clean laundry to the Cottages. If your were chosen you got paid 4d - which was a lot of money to a child. Only older children were allowed. If you were not lucky this time she would make sure you took a turn next time.

SEAMSTRESS

For some reason, perhaps because I was small I was used as a model for new clothes. The Seamstress was amazing. She would place a piece of material in front of her, cut it out, take her needle and thread and in one fluid movement it was sewn. Then she would fit it on me: no, no good; quick un-pick and re-sew in the blink of an eye - amazing!

DENTIST

A man asked me the way to the Infirmary, I chattered away to him while we walked along. On my visit to the dentist there was my man: Mr. Jones, the Dentist. Ah! you are the little girl who showed me the way, I was very flattered that he remembered me.

DOCTOR

Once a year, when the doctor visited, a wash-stand was provided plus soap and towel - funny the things you remember.

SUPERINTENDENT

I once spoke back to the dance teacher, who smoked, (ballet and tap) (that was a lovely sound - all those taps). Something about my sister being ten times better than she was. Whereupon I was dragged to the Superintendent. I wasn't too happy when on arrival a boy was being flogged. Oohh! What will he do to me? I (just) got a good talking too - perhaps I thought the flogging would come at the end of the lecture. I was very upset.

MRS MACE

Mrs Mace, a temporary, thrilled us with stories such as putting soap in a girl's mouth when a girl was rude.

MISS BETTY SLADE

I can remember watching Betty Slade giving an exhibition of her diving , sometime during my time at Drury Falls (Senior School).
She was the European Springboard champion in 1938. Britain's National 3 Metre Springboard Champion.
Betty won gold in the 1938 Olympics.

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MEMORIES SENT TO ME TO SHARE WITH YOU

EMMA LOUISA EDGAR plus some amazing photos on this link: http://picasaweb.google.com/kt4ukc

Emma was born in 1903 in Bethnal Green the youngest of six children,four boys & two girls.
Her father was a cabinet maker & had a shop in or off the Kingsland Road until he died in 1911.
The eldest boy & Ems mum kept the business going after his death but sadly they both died in 1912 leaving the children orphaned & destitute.
From here things get a bit hazy but we think that Emma & Harry then went to the Cottage Homes but they may have gone to relatives for a while before as the extended family were all in the area.
Charles (my grandfather/her brother) would have been fifteen so probably working,Warley the youngest boy was in the Industrial Colony at Darenth in Kent as he had severely injured himself falling on railings & he died there in 1917. Mary the elder sister (born 1890) may have cared for them for some time but she died in 1915.
Shared by Ian Edgar - thank you so much

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Researching the KNAGGS family through time and space . . .
Website: http://homepage.ntlworld.com/jeffery.knaggs/index.html
http://homepage.ntlworld.com/jeffery.knaggs/Instuts.html
He has listed all of the Institutions which are on the 1901 census. I had a hard time finding the Home and could not work out why. I managed to find it by chance on the 1901 census but could not remember how I did - then I found his site and could search by piece number. It was indexed as COTTAGE ROMES

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1924 old boy and girl.
Email from Linda Jarvis, Canada - 7Mar2003
My dad was born in Feb 27, 1920 in Hackney, London and was placed in the home in 1924 along with his sister ROSE. My grandmother's name was ALICE and as far as I can find out she had three sets of children each with a different father. On my dad's birth certificate is shows his father as being JACK POLLARD but I have not been able to trace anything about him.
From stories that my dad had told me and from some of my research, I think that my dad did not take to home life too well and got into a lot of trouble while he was there. I understand that when he was about 8 years old, he and two other boys broke into a cottage and stole some books. For this crime, it seems he was removed from Hornchurch and sent to a different home for difficult boys.
My AUNT ROSE POLLARD stayed in the Hornchurch home until she became of age and trained to be in service.

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More recent old girl:
Email from Helga
It was situated at 117 Hornchurch Road, Hornchurch. the Hornchurch Bus Garage used to be next to it. If you want a bit of information about it during the years 1962 to 1970s please do not hesitate to contact me. I was an inmate then.
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Email from Peter Nowlan
Its odd but the homes (or cottages as they were called ) look much softer than the bleak place I remember.
Sadly during Peter's time there (1970's) 3 boys died. It, as he says, had become a bleak place. I also heard of children being abused whilst there. To them and there families and friends I send my heartfelt condolences.

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NAMES

OUTSIDE FRIENDS

MRS NIXON (Old Nick) my foster mother....

FROGSPAWN

MATRON

LAUNDRESS

SEAMSTRESS

DENTIST

DOCTOR

SUPERINTENDENT

MRS MACE

MISS BETTY SLADE