Description:The children’s home at Pype Hayes Hall has the distinction of being in the oldest building of all the Birmingham City Council children’s homes. Pype Hayes Hall was built in around 1630, with some significant changes made to the building in the 19th century.
In 1919, the Hall was sold to the City of Birmingham for use initially as a convalescent home.
It was used as a war-time nursery from 12th August 1940. Many buildings (such as the Carnegie Institute) were used as nurseries in this way to enable the mothers of children up to 5 years old to go out to work during the war.
Pype Hayes was a 24 hours nursery (as opposed to a residential or a day nursery) so that mothers who worked night shifts were able to leave their children there overnight.
In 1945, Pype Hayes became a residential nursery for children initially for the children of women who were working and then for children in the care of the Council. Until 1950, along with Meadway, Perry Villa and Hawthorne House, it was known as a short-term residential nursery.
In 1954, in the effort keep very young siblings with their older brothers and sisters, Pype Hayes became a combined residential nursery and children’s home. As such, it effectively replaced both Red House residential nursery and the Council’s use of Midddlemore House as a children's home.
In 1981, Pype Hayes closed as a children’s home for a short time. When it reopened the home changed status to that of an assessment centre (short-term placements) and a district centre providing reception, placement, and some management input into the 18 community homes of the North/East District of the city.
From this time it was no longer used as a residential nursery, a change that happened as part of the City Council’s drive to keep younger children out of residential care.
It remained in use as an assessment centre until 1988. The building has since been in use by Social Services and still stands today (2010).
Pype Hayes children’s home was well-known for its donkeys. The first, called Tiny, was friendly and often gave children rides. When Tiny died, he was replaced by another called ‘Tiny Two’, a donkey of a different character altogether. With an impossible to control aggressive streak, he had to live out his final years in a donkey sanctuary.
In 1974, a nursery nurse at the children’s home was murdered and her body left in Pype Hayes Park. Another employee at the home was tried for her murder but acquitted. Some people say that her ghost still haunts the Hall.
Image: Pype Hayes Hall in 2010.
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.