Erdington Cottage Homes, Fentham Road: Home 14 / Beechcroft

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Date:1900 - 1981 (c.)

Description:Home 14 was on the left hand side of the drive and was initially a home for girls as were all the homes on the left hand side of the drive.

In later years, however, along with all the other Erdington Cottage Homes which started life as being only for girls, it became mixed.

By 1948, Home 14 had accommodation for 18 boys and girls. In 1949 it became known as Beechcroft.

Paulinea, a resident of home 9 in the late 1950s, remembers Beechcroft as having bars on the windows and being used to accommodate children who, by reason of illness or behaviour, warranted special attention.

In 1969, it was agreed to join Beechcroft and Windyridge into one and make the new single unit into a residential nursery as part of the City Council’s efforts to replace the older larger nurseries with smaller units.

The new nursery, called Beechcroft, accommodated 18 children aged under 8. The nursery was staffed by a matron, deputy matron, nine residential childcare officers and two night assistants.

Beechcroft closed in 1981, along with all other residential nurseries in the city after a change in council policy which meant that children under 5 would, as far as was possible, be fostered out rather than put into residential care.

After closing as a children’s home, the newly created district home-finding team was based in the building from 1981.

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Image: Beechcroft in 2004 when the building was in use as Social Services offices. Image reproduced courtesy of Paul Dolan.
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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.

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