Description:Milton Grange children's home was originally located in two large adjoining houses on the corner of Forest Road and Church Road in Moseley.
The Council converted the buildings and opened them as a home in 1948. Initially it was a reception (receiving) home for 34 children newly brought into care where they were observed before decisions were made about where they would go on a more permanent basis.
By 1952, the receiving home was felt to be underused and the reception function was moved to a smaller unit in Shenley Fields called The Trees.
The two buildings of Milton Grange were instead used as a replacement (working) boy’s hostel for Vauxhall House which was scheduled for demolition.
As a working boys' hostel, Milton Grange accommodated older boys who had left school but were still in care. They were supported in their efforts to find work and would have stayed in the hostel until they were 18.
In 1953, however, it was felt that Milton Grange was underused as a working boys’ hostel and the decision was taken to combine all hostel functions at Copeley Hill Hostel and use Milton Grange as a children's home.
At this time, the lease on the Church Road building expired and was not renewed.
In 1960, with concerns about increasing numbers of children coming into care, the Children’s Committee took over a former District Nurses' Home at 16 Handsworth Wood Road to use as a children’s home. The arrangement was discontinued in 1961 because of uncertainty about the building’s future. By 1963, however, the future of the building had been secured and it was decided that, because of the structural deterioration of the building at Milton Grange, the children's home should be moved to 16 Handsworth Wood Road and the Moseley site was closed.
In 1966 the Handsworth Wood Milton Grange became a home for working girls - replacing the two working girls' hostels at Chattock Hill and Hillmount Close. Milton Grange was felt to be ideally suited as a hostel for older girls as it had nine single bedrooms so each girl could have her own space. In 1976, the home was used temporarily to accommodate nine girls from Field House while Field House was being renovated after a serious fire.
In 1998, Milton Grange was still listed as a working children's home. In 1999, it was listed as one of a series of children’s homes thought to be about to close by the Birmingham Evening Mail. By 2004, the building was in use by the Council as a centre accommodating various services and agencies related to carers.
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Image: The Milton Grange building on Handsworth Wood Road, taken in 2010 by Gudrun Limbrick when the building was in use by the Council as a carers' centre.
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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.