St Margarets Home for Girls Nidd Ripley

[Marie Baker]

My mother Ellen Rose Griffiths(known as Helen or Nell) was taken from her home in Wallasey ,to St Margarets Home for Girls,Nidd Ripley,Harrogate,aged 4.I think her brothers  Harold  and Idwal went to a boys home nearby.This would have been in 1916/17 untill she was 17 in 1929. Can anyone tell me which school these girls would have attended,and how to find records of school attendance.Also I would love to hear from anyone whose relatives where at the Home at that time.Maybe they have been told about life at the school for the girls.

[dave the tyke]

Have a look on this site, you could get lucky

http://www.harrogatepeopleandplaces.info/newsroom.htm

[Marie Baker]

Thanks for your reply.Will have a look and hope to find something of interest.Marie.

[dave the tyke]

There is some information about the home and a photo on here.

http://www.hiddenlives.org.uk/homes/allhomes.html

scroll down to St Margaret's Nidd

I would have thought that given that there were only 28 girls all under 14, the girls could have received schooling 'in house' ?

If you go to the 'Hidden Lives' section there is a contact address near the bottom of the page.

[Marie Baker]

Hi,and thanks again for your reply,I remember Mum describing walking to school in the snowand rain,and also eating raw  turnips from the fields on the way as she was often hungry,so I think the girls must have attended a local school.I have been trying to remember some of the girls names,but at the moment they escape me ! Marie.

[CyndyB]

Hello marielizb,
Regarding your post about St Margarets Home for Girls. I was sent there in early 1942 at the age of 4. My sister joined me 3 months later aged 5 and then my twin sisters came 2/3 years later. The infant school was at the bottom of the drive parallel with the drive, very old and is still there. I have a photo somewhere. As for the older girls, they would have attended school in Harrogate and gone by train. The train station was not far away though. We were very well looked after and don't remember being that hungry, The motto above the door said "HOME FOR WAIFS AND STRAYS", set in concrete and I can remember the Matron at the time having this sandblasted out, because were were not waifs and strays, it was because of the war, that we were there as my mother had passed away in childbirth and my grandparents and father could not cope at the time.

[mardut]

Hi CyndyB

My mother was also in St Marys Home for Girls in 1942 - she would have been 6 then.  Do you remember any of the girls from the home and do you have the photo you referred to?

[CyndyB]

Mardut  - not St Mary's but St Margarets Home. Yes! I have found 7 photos I took in 2011. Nidd School, 4 of the Home, 2 of the Church we all attended. No! I cannot remember any of the girls who were there as I am nearly 80.   There were only about 15 of us. The Matron was very kind and we had a person who helped the Matron called Sister Woolley. Every night after playtime, she would come down to the playground and rattle a big square tin which was full of "Dolly Mixtures" and give us all a handful. I and my three sisters were boarded out in 1947. I have many happy memories of St Margarets. I cannot say the same for the people we went to. Fortunately we were only with these people (an old couple unmarried) for 9 months and were then sent to a lovely person in North Wales.
I can scan these pictures and get them to you perhaps one at a time.

[mardut]

Thank you so much for getting back to me so quickly and for sharing your memories. I'm really glad that you and your sisters were eventually sent to a lovely person in North Wales. Mum was 80 just before Christmas - she remembers very little except there were only about 15 girls, the school was at bottom of garden/driveway and walking to church on Sunday which she vaguely remembers as being close to the home so any photos you could share would be most welcome. Thanks again!