Image credit: St Agnes’ Home, Pevensey Bay: Date: 1962 : The front of the Home.
This photograph was taken by the Society’s Estates Department. Rights: © The Children’s Society
Talking to Bay Life (13 October), a researcher looking into the history of St. Agnes Home, here in Pevensey Bay said, “‘I am currently doing some research to find out more about my time spent in St Agnes Children’s Home”.
She added “I am aware there was a lady by the name of Ms Joan Paxton who looked after us. I hope to find some photographic evidence and any other information to help me discover more about my younger years”.
Drawing on sources from what is available online, what is known is that St Agnes Home in Pevensey Bay was officially opened on 30 June 1938 as a replacement for St Agnes’ Home, Croydon.
The purpose of the home was to function as a convalescent home for children with disabilities. Property records indicate that the building was built around 1922, and that it was purchased by The Children’s Society in 1936.
The Home was evacuated in 1940 because of the Second World War and according to the 1940 Annual Report, St Agnes’ relocated to near Oxford as a war nursery. However, the sources indicate it is unclear which war nursery is being referred to. The building at Pevensey Bay itself was reopened as a Home after the war.
In 1964 residents of St Agnes spent their annual holiday on Hayling Island, Hampshire.
The Home closed in 1972 and residents moved to Harvey Goodwin House Home, Cambridge.
The building briefly reopened in 1974 as a holiday home for small groups of children in the care of The Children’s Society.
What we hope to do is to add to the research that is being undertaken to build up a bigger and more detailed picture of the home here in Pevensey Bay, to add to the historical record of Pevensey Bay with regard to social and educational provision.
We hope to be in a position to publish some of the personal research being undertaken, as well as photographs, personal memories and archive information supplied to us by The Children’s Society and any residents living here that have personal memories of either work at the home or links to the home.
What appears to be the case is that are many happy memories linked to the home.
From a social and educational perspective, there appears to have been some pioneering work undertaken at the home.
Simon Montgomery, editor of the Pevensey Bay Journal, the local newspaper in Pevensey Bay, said this morning (October 14), “since I have been a teacher for 42 years, I will be very interested to see what memories, recollections and archive information emerges in this process.
He added “he Children’s Society was founded in 1882 in Dulwich by Edward Rudolf, a Sunday School teacher and civil servant. This was a radical organisation from the beginning. The plan was for children’s homes as a alternative to workhouses and orphanages”.
“What we would like to do in the Journal is to profile a four page pullout, which will look at the history of the Childrens Society, together with a scrapbook of stories, memories and recollections, linked to the Childrens Society archives about the home here in Pevensey Bay, which appears to have been such a happy local social and educational environment for children”.
The history of the Childrens’ Society from the beginning demonsrates some pioneering work.
Edward Rudolf educated himself to help support his family. His father died in 1871. The same year, his mother, was admitted to Bethlem Mental Hospital in Beckenham, Kent, but was released later in the year. He began his educational work in September 1869, aged 17, as a member of the ‘Popular Educator Committee’. This involved running classes to help with the education of young men.
The success of the work, together with a growing awareness of the scale of child poverty in the country, led to the rapid development of The Children’s Society. By 1919 the charity had 113 homes and cared for 5,000 children.
Bay Life hopes to be in a position publish the research and memories into the story of the St Agnes home here in Pevensey Bay in episodic form in the coming month, with the material then offered to the Pevensey Bay Journal for the presentation of their four page pullout in the newspaper in the New Year.
Senior citizen, 89 year old, Pauline Montgomery, who has been a resident in Pevensey Bay for 14 years, and was school secretary for 35 years, said, “this will be good, my generation”.
She added, “will be interesting to see what comes from this research, my generation of children, plenty of people around that might be thrilled to see that there will be an opportunity to re-live their memories, whilst other people enjoy being able to read their memories”.
People can contact Bay Life here with their recollections of St. Agnes Childrens’ Home in Pevensey Bay.
text source: Hidden Lives Revealed—A Virtual Archive—Children in Care, 1881-1918
image source: St Agnes’ Home, Pevensey Bay: 1962 : The front of the Home.
Photograph taken by Society Estates Department. Rights: © The Children’s Society
