Description:The probationary home was opened on 6th February 1902.
This was described in the annual report of the time as an ‘experiment’ as it would mean children could, for the first time, be admitted directly to the probationary home and then the cottage homes without passing through the workhouse. The probationary home was intended for orphans and for those whose parent/s had been placed in a ‘lunatic asylum, workhouse, infirmary or other institution’.
Unlike the other cottage homes, Home 11 could be divided into two sections by a door in the middle of a long corridor. It also had two bathrooms. This may have been because, unlike the other houses, it was always intended that it should accommodate both boys and girls.
Early in its existence, the Home must have lost its probationary status with that function being taken on by The Oaklands in Selly Oak in 1921. However, the Guardians of the Poor of the Birmingham Union converted it back into a probationary home in 1923 after The Oaklands was 'given back' to Selly Oak Hospital. The function of the probationary home at the time is described as quarantining children first coming into the home before they were to mix with other children.
Children arriving at Shenley Fields in the 1930s and 1940s and were taken to the Pro Home. When there they were washed and scrubbed with carbolic acid, to be sure that they were free of lice, fleas and other infestations. They would also be given clothes to wear and a medical check, primarily to ensure that they were not infectious. Children tended to stay in the Pro Home for anything from a few days to a few weeks before being allocated to one of the cottage homes.
Until the 1940s, it was the only home with both sexes living in it – with the exception of the Babies’ Home.
One woman's memories of living in Elmdene as a child in 1946:
" I was sent to Elmdene which was a large reception home run by Mrs Bowes. There were eleven other similar buildings on the long drive at Shenley with bushes, tall trees and flower beds around them. My own clothes were taken from me and I was dressed in the homes clothes – I presume for hygiene reasons. I desperately wanted my own clothes back and made such a fuss that I got my own way. Clothes and shoes were given out from a store up the drive where there was a sewing and repair room. I didn’t like the scratchy woolen dress we had to wear on Sundays for church. It turned out that I was allergic to wool and I already suffered very badly from eczema but no one understood.
"Elmdene always seemed a dark and dingy place with big sparse rooms and Mrs Bowes seemed very austere. I never felt that she was affectionate towards me. There was another older girl who I remember was quite a bully. But you never said anything to anyone then. We shared bedrooms and there were quite a few other children of different ages. No one explained anything to me then as to why I had been sent there.
"I went to Jervoise Primary School in Weoley Castle and was in year 5 as it is called now. I quite liked school and the teachers were nice. While at Shenley I liked going to the Assembly Hall along the drive for dance lessons with Miss Stallard – everyone liked her. I was also in a singing class with a choirmaster and remember learning Brahms Lullaby.
"We used to play on an old Midland Red bus which was in the field at the back of the other large homes. I remember a spell in the Sick Bay. I don’t know what for but it was very lonely.
"When the older girls left at 16yrs they were given a case, some clothes, money and a great big doll. How I would have loved to have a doll like that or a teddy, as I had never been given a teddy bear.
"Mr and Mrs Griffin were the overall superintendents of the homes and were well liked and respected. They were polite and spoke kindly to us."
In 1948, Home 11 had 16 children in residence. In 1949, Home 11 was named Elmdene and it became a reception centre for the use of the city as a whole. Shortly afterwards, however, the reception centre function was moved to the Trees, being the largest of the cottage homes.
In approximately 1954, Frances and Mr Bowes became houseparents. At this time, Elmdene was still a short-stay home. The Bowes moved onto The Trees after a short period.
The 1970s saw Mr and Mrs Sabin and then Mr and Mrs Thompson as houseparents.
When Jill and Roy Plumley became house parents of Elmdene in 1974, it was a home for 10 boys aged between 2 and 17.
In the 1970s a donkey, Matthew, was donated to the Homes by a well-wisher, and it moved into the paddock next to Elmdene. Matthew steadfastly refused to be ridden by anyone and was constantly escaping. Eventually it was decided that he should spend the rest of his days on a local farm.
In 1981 it was proposed that Elmdene should become mixed so, to ensure there was sufficient room for both boys and girls, it moved en masse – children and staff – to Greenways. It closed in the following year, however, 80 years after it had first opened.
After closing as a children’s home, the newly created district home-finding team was based at 17 Shenley Fields Drive from 1981.
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Image: Booklet issued for the opening ceremony of the Assembly Hall at Shenley Fields Cottage Homes, 30th October 1923.
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Source: This history was compiled by the Birmingham Children's Homes Project, an initiative to explore Birmingham City Council-run children’s homes between 1949 and 1990.