Palmerston House Childrens Home

I was there in the early 70s it was a good place but a bit scary if you had never been in that sort of environment.

I was there in 1980,81 I never saw anything like that thank God the dirty bas ,I had some good times there

I was There from 1966-1969. I can still remember the names of some of the staff, some of the other children there at the time and the new wing to the rear of the original house being built. I was there when the open air swimming pool was being built, the foot path and Brook at the rear. I remember being taken for walks in the country side, along the railway embankment, before all the houses were built in the late 60s. In those days, on a Sunday morning, we were given Hot bread rolls for breakfast, before walking down to the Abby, to attend the service. We use to get our pocket money on a Saturday lunch time and couldn't wait to get our sweets from the little shop next door, or went into the town and bought a torch from Woolworths, or something cool like that. Some weekends, we were taken out in the school van to spend the day in the New Forest. We all were given sanwiches, wrapped in grease proof paper and Orrange, or Lemmon squash. I remember Palmeston House with great fondness.

I went there in the summer of 1969 after being wrongly convicted of shoplifting. My friend who I was with in the shop ran off without paying for some groceries. I had no idea he had planned to steal them and keep the £5 his mother had given him to pay for them.
I was taken to court and was made the subject of a care order which cost me 3 years in children's homes. I was taken from Gosport to Osborne Road social services in Fareham and then to Palmerston House in Romsey by a social worker. I was handed over to the home manager Mr Peak I believe his name was and ended up spending 6 months there.
I was enrolled at Priestlands school but I remember playing truant and spending the day hiding in railway carriages on the railway station sidings which were on the walk to school. I ran away several times from the home and remember sleeping in a coal yard on the other side of the brook/stream on the path between Botley road and the A27 near what is now Romsey Rapids pool. One time I ran away I set off to walk back to Gosport along the Botley road. I spent hours getting a few miles as I was hiding in front gardens along the Botley rd towards Eastliegh as there was at least one police car looking for me that kept driving up and down the road. I think a householder must have spotted me as a police car eventually pulled up and searched until they found me.
Things I remember from the time include getting my pocket money and spending it in the little shop next door to the home. I remember a film poster outside the shop for 'The King and I' starring Yul Brynner. I remember Creedence Clearwater Revival's Bad Moon Rising playing on the radio a lot. I recall playing football out the back of Palmerston House with Mr Peak and one day when he was mowing the grass with a petrol lawnmower out on the back lawn a piece of flint flew out from the mower and embedded in my calf requiring a trip to a hospital for stitches although I don't recall which hospital that would have been. I also recall attending a remembrance parade at a memorial in a park near to Romsey Abbey and Lord Louis Mountbatten laying a wreath at a memorial.
I eventually found out that Palmerston House was an assessment centre where they would determine if I would be moved to a children's home nearer home or to Ashbourne Lodge which was an approved school for children assessed to be less controllable. I started to conform and was rewarded with a move to St Boniface children's home on Marine Parade West in Lee on Solent where I was deprived of my freedom for another 2 1/2 years. What happened to my friend who had actually stolen the groceries? He got six months probation! Life sucks.

I was there 1975/76 it was ok until Clive nibblet started to sexually abuse me.

I was there early 83 ..84 I was the only Scottish skin head there ..and I hated every minute..I remember a teacher who had a dirty bread he was a dick a bully ..I arrived at 13 with a bottle of whiskey and fags boots Jean's etc they tired for days to get me out my own clothes..after leaving I went to glen house also a place for adult bullying to carry on ..any way they told me I would have no chance after i leave care ...well i did leave joined the army travelling the world 2 kids happy never had a charge from police nothing ..

I was there 1974 with my brother Peter Hardy I was the only girl so they sent me to Mountbatten school rather than the school hut in the back.
Anyone remember Mr& Mrs Senior and a Mr Niblet

That's when I was there 1974

I was there 67 till 69 ,remember shop next door, met some nice people there ,then they decided to move me to milesdown Winchester

Lovely time spent at Palmerston house my best friend was Peter Ironside I cried when he left remember the lovely walks new forest and hot rolls and cheese and dates