turners court

[carol8353]

Sorry Rabbit- but Diggit has one or two threads running at the same time here,see this one for further info http://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php/topic,302759.msg1846520.html#msg1846520

Carol

[Diggit]

Sorry if i am confusing people.  I am new to all this and still trying to learn how it all works. I really do appreciate the help. i am without IT support today as my granddaughter isn't here!

[carol8353]

Don't worry Diggit,you're doing fine 

Some of those answering your questions on one thread will not have realised that you have two running alongside on different notice boards.

Just provided the link so everyone can see what's what 

Carol

[Diggit]

Thank you Carol8353 - it's all cabbage to me, but i am learning.

[Rabbit B]

Thanks Carol,

I wondered if I had lost it at last! 

Nice to know that I am still with it!  Cheers me up no end!

Rabbit B 

[Adrian Chambers]

  I used to be a resident of T.C.. I was in Grove House.
Had many memories of my four and a half years there. Some good but many bad too!!
I was there approx between 1982 - 1987.
Staff in Grove house during my stay included: Jill Palmer, Mark Whitehead, Fran Hunt, & Mark Evans.
Turners court was run like a workhouse (NOT a prison), & it's actual name was "Turner's Court Vocational Training Centre".
                              Adrian Pattenden - Resident

[Geg]

This post has been here a while so I don't know whether anyone is still following it, However, I grew up at Turners Court, I now live in NZ.

Turners Court started life as the Oxfordshire Colony in 1911 and the Wallingford Farm Training Colony. It was set up to essentially put to work 'idle hands' from the cities in an experiment to stem vagrancy and petty crime.

In WW1 it was then used to put 'conscientious objectors' to work on the land as part of the war effort.

at this time and through to the 70's it was run along similar lines as a military style training centre, but training rural activities rather than military ones.

After the 70's it changed it's focus from agriculture (although the training farm was still there) to other 'trades' like mechanical engineering, woodwork, catering, painting & decorating, horticulture, etc... and introduced classroom curriculums.

Throughout it's history boys were placed here by the authorities if they were deemed to be on the 'wrong path' or at risk. In the early days it was boys and young men, I believe after WW2 it was just boys, generally between the ages of 14 to 18.

Especially in the early days these colonies were set up to teach Rural trades with a view of giving them the skills to take to and populate the New Worlds, therefore you should find many people in Australia and New Zealand whose great grandfathers and grand fathers will have passed through these colonies.

Here are some photos of Turners Court and some of the people who lived and worked there.
http://www.benson-village.co.uk/Localities/Turners-Court/

A good book on the history of Turners Court is on Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/Oxfordshire-Colony-Turners-Wallingford-1911-1991/dp/1452077290

I hope this helps with someone's research.

[Jonny D Kentt]

https://www.facebook.com/Turners-Court-School-Wallingford-286035761815096/
i was there 1987/88 it was nothing like it was pre 70/80's by the early 80's it wasn't for underprivileged boys or at risk,a lot of us were there because we just didn't go to school and were petty criminals.There wasn't much control by staff over us and pretty much done as we liked,it was closed down in 1991 and left empty for 10 years demolished and redeveloped it is now called oakley court all that remains is the clock tower  https://scontent-lht6-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/17098558_286037495148256_8872840461285971119_n.jpg?oh=460044b563242049a5df85ac8ed9c430&oe=5A1682CA this was taken a few months ago

[drenai]

thanks for the replies, yes that's the place - i suppose reform school is better than prison! any more information anyone has got would be great. Still can't understand what he was doing there when he was from London. Nice to hear they were allowed out to youth club, perhaps he wasn't a bad lad after all.

While some saw Turners Court(TC) as a reform school mostly that was the locals in the wallingford region
Originally set up as a training  farm/school for  problem boys  often many were given the choice of a detention center or learn a trade in the 70s many social workers had heard of the place and lads from childrens homes as well as court judgement lads went there. By the 70s the farm had expanded and was now a full training college. As well as farming it offered Paint & decorating, horticulture & gardening, catering,  bricklaying among other things.

At 27 your relative would have been too old to be a student there and most likely a trade instructor.

A book was fairly recently published by a former  resident there (it was residential)

Oxfordshire Colony: Turners Court Farm School, Wallingford, 1911-1991

I found this  notice board by chance  while looking into what become of the place . I was there in 1977 & 1978 doing catering.
F