Styal Cottage Homes

Styal Cottage Homes were open from October 1898 to 1956 and housed destitute children from the Manchester area. They were established in Styal by the Chorlton Poor Law Union Board of Guardians who financed the project with a loan of £50,000 from Liverpool Corporation. The foundation stone for the homes was laid on 31 August 1896, by Arthur Balfour, who was then MP for East Manchester. The architect was JB Broadbent of Manchester. There were 12 homes, each with 20 beds, and four smaller homes with 10 beds each. More buildings were added in 1905 and in 1928.[1]

In 1948 long stay accommodation for 438 children was provided. The children were required to wear uniforms. The establishment was 22 housemothers, 12 assistant housemothers and 18 relief housemothers. Pay for a housemother was £4/2/- for a 48-hour week. £1/3/- was deducted for board and lodging.

20 children ran away in one month. There was a farm training school. A 16 horsepower Austin vehicle was provided by the City Council in 1948 to enable sports teams to get to away fixtures. There was a military band, but it was closed in 1948 at the same time that corporal punishment was abolished. However this was not always the case as it was not unusual for children to be punished if caught talking at night once the lights were off. A slipper was used for this. If children wet their bed they would have to take their sheets to the laundry and wash them by hand, and therefore not attend school. In 1951 it was agreed that the number of children accommodated would be reduced and that cottages should have both boys and girls. Children were to attend outside schools and they were allowed bicycles.

In 1952, as the process of running down the homes progressed the school, farm and bakery closed. 82 children ran away in May. The City Council developed a programme for building family group homes as an alternative.

The last child left in 1956. By that time Manchester had opened 22 family group homes, housing 116 children.[2]