This view is taken from where Leicester Street meets Swanswell Street (the latter is in the foreground). The Girls Industrial Home is the ivy covered building to the left. In 1908 it was badly damaged by lightning splitting one of its large chimneys in two. The fallinbg bricks damaged the roof and the ceilings of some of the rooms were cracked. Mrs Joseph Cash, of the Cashs ribbon family, together with Lady Jane Peel set up the home at these premises in 1846. The idea was to offer training for livelihoods foryoung girls 'in friendless and exposed situations'. They learnt skills associated with washing, needlework and general housework. In 1863 it received accreditation as an industrial school with 29 girls in the home (five under magistrates orders - this would happen to some grils who ended up in the courts for criminal behaviour). The building in the postcard is the result of a rebuild in 1888. There were various reorts of physical abuse of the girls by the staff resulting in sackings. The girls were kept until 16 but reports were kept afterwards on their progress in employment. By 1904 32 girls were accommodated, increased the following year to 50. and 80 in 1911. In 1922 the school moved to new premises in Kingfield Road now called Newfield School. The site is now a NHS centre.
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