Vauxhall House, 205 Vauxhall Road, Aston

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Date:1913 - 1952 (c.)

Description:Opened in 1913, 205 Vauxhall Road was initially known as the Boys’ Home but had the purpose of what was later to become known as a working boys’ hostel. When boys in the cottage homes had finished their schooling / training, they went to live in the Boys’ Home where they would be helped to find a job or an apprenticeship. It also had the function initially of being a ‘relief station’, perhaps providing overflow accommodation from the cottage homes or accommodation for young men who found themselves homeless.

Before 1913, 205 Vauxhall Road was already owned by the Aston Board of Guardians and used as their offices.

The first superintendent and matron appointed were Mr and Mrs Wilkes who had previously been foster parents at Marston Green. Mrs Wilkes died in 1918 but Mr Wilkes decided to continue in his role. A temporary matron, Mrs Cast, was appointed to support him in his work. When he retired in 1922, Mrs Cast was made redundant. The pair were replaced by Mr and Mrs Harrison. They, in turn, were superseded in 1924 by Mrs and Mrs Squires who were formerly house parents at Shenley Fields.

“When I left the [Shenley Field Cottage] Homes I went to a Hostel for boys at Vauxhall. It was even stricter there. You could not go out at all. We joined the ARP [Air Raid Precautions] to get out at night and used the chance to meet girls”.
Stanley Smith who went to the hostel in the 1930s. [The Children’s Homes Village, Jill Plumley 1992, resproduced here with the kind permission of the author]

Initially, it could accommodate 43 boys but, by 1948, it had accommodation for 34 boys aged between 15 and 18.

When it was taken over by the Children’s Committee in 1949 (from the Education Committee), it was known as Vauxhall House.

“The hostel accommodates boys from the cottage homes and boys in the care of the local authority who have left residential special schools who, for one reason or another, have not been boarded-out with foster parents.” [The Children's Committee Report 1954 p128]

At a meeting of the Children’s Committee on 29th July 1952, it was decided that, as the building was unsuitable for use as a hostel and scheduled for demolition ‘in the near future’ the boys would be transferred to Milton Grange (in Moseley) as soon as it became empty.

The transfer took place in September 1952 – although some boys, for whom there was not room at Milton Grange, went to Copeley Hill Hostel instead.

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Image: "A retiring house-mother's reunion with her 'boys'" c. 1950. reproduced courtesy of Birmingham City Council.
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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.