Preston, Harris Orphanage 1893

Photo ref: 33098

More about this scene

The Harris Orphanage opened in 1888 after £100,000 was set aside by the Trustees of the Harris Estate to build and equip such an establishment. Local architect Benjamin Sykes designed the building in domestic Gothic style. At the time of this photograph, there were about one hundred and sixty children resident here. The school was run on the 'group' system (unusual then, and very advanced for the time): the children lived in groups and learnt how to look after one another like a large family. At the age of fifteen the young adults were launched into the real world, or returned to any relatives that could be found. The Orphanage had a gymnasium, swimming baths, a hospital, workshops and a chapel, so every care was given to its charges. In 1914 Clayton Hall was built in the grounds to give added leisure facilities; it cost £2,000. In 1948 the building became Fulwood and Caldy Comprehensive School, which later merged with Ingol and Lightfoot Primary School to become the Harris County Primary School.