Skellow Hall Children's Home
I can remember the day I first went to Skellow, in the year 1950. I was put into the children's home at the top of Skellow Road where three of my brothers were at the time. The superintendent then was Mr Rhodes and his wife Mary. They only lasted four years of my childhood as the new superintendent came, who was there till the day I left, some nine years later. Lads attended the local schools, first the older lads who attended Skellow Secondary Modern School and I at the infant school that was joined on to it. The building was far smaller than what is there now, plenty of room to play and orchards which bears a variety of fruit. The old stables were in good order and the coach houses used as garages. My memories were of good and bad of my treatment at the home, but as far as I'm concerned will be with me for the rest of my days, I hope to finish a book on my time at the children's home, titled "Institutionalized in a Children's Home", by Allan Cooke.
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RE: RE: Skellow Hall Children's Home
I was born in 1944 in Skellow. My dad, Butch Gaskell, worked at Bentley pit and my maternal grandad was Reuben Wilson who worked at Bullcroft pit. I lived on Elm Road between the Dawson's and the Davis's I remember as a kid watching the 'orphans' from Skellow Hall going to church at Owston every Sunday. We were quite poor and I recall feeling envious of their clothes! At the same time I felt there was a sadness about them, probably because they had no feeling of 'family' or warmth. Even as a child I felt I wanted to reach out and offer friendship and warmth to them but never knew how to communicate those feelings to them. Memories still.
Comment from Colin Gaskell on Thursday, 10th March 2011.