Norwood Historical Archive Collection

NHA

Norwood Historical Archive Collection

1821-2018

This collection consists of al the records created by and relating to:
The Jew's Hospital and Orphan Asylum 1821-1971
Norwood Homes for Jewish Children - 1958-1988
Norwood Child Care - 1982-1996
The Ravenswood Foundation - 1953-1996
Norwood Ravenswood 1996-2018

It further includes the charity’s Royal Patronage papers. Norwood was first awarded Royal Patronage in 1815 when Prince Augustus Frederick, Duke of Sussex bestowed his Royal Patronage on the Jew's Hospital having admired the work of the charity in caring for Jewish children from poor backgrounds. The charity has had the honour of receiving Royal Patronage from every monarch since, from King Edward VII to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. The collection includes letters from our Royal patrons confirming their ongoing patronage of the charity as well as records from visits made by the Royal family.

There is a large collection of photographs dating from 1900s to the present day that reflect how Norwood has evolved over time and developed into the charity it is recognised as today. Similarly, the collection includes artefacts collected from the Orphanage as well as memorabilia from Norwood events.

The papers of the Norwood Old Scholars Association (NOSA) is another feature of the collection. The Association is a charity which helps ex-Norwood children who lived in the Norwood Orphanage or family homes stay in contact with one another. It provides relief to those in need and offers the chance for classmates to reconnect through the Association’s reunions. Their papers include NOSA newsletters that feature many stories from ex-students who went to the Orphanage and there are also committee minutes and memorabilia from NOSA events.

Location: Norwood, the Univeristy of Southampton Special Collections Archive, the Berkshire Record Office, the Rothschild Archive London.

The constant accrual of records over a long period of time without any formal assessment on their entry into the archive has meant that the original order of much of the collection has been lost.

The collection has been catalogued using ISAD(G) and the arrangement has been carried out taking a number of considerations into account:

- the basic archival principal of provenance and original order, where this is
Identifiable (Who created these records? What order were they kept in?)
- the function of the records (What purpose were the records created for? Has
responsibility for this function changed between different departments at
different dates?)
- ease of use by potential researchers

The collection has been divided into five sub-fonds, based on the following names the charity was known by at certain periods in time:
JHOA - The Jews’ Hospital and Orphan Asylum 1821-1962.
NHJC - Norwood Homes for Jewish Children 1962-1982.
NCC - Norwood Child Care 1982-1996
RAV - The Ravenswood Foundation 1952-1996.
NWRW - Norwood Ravenswood 1996 – 2018.

Note: The records are only available for consultation by written permission of the United Synagogue's Chief Executive.

• External Unit: See the Archives for Jewish Care papers, 1757-1989 for records relating to the administrative merger of the Jewish Board of Guardians and Norwood in 1963. Reference no. GB 738 GB 738 MS 173 held at University of Southampton Libraries Special Collections.

• External Unit: See Norwood Home for Jewish Children West Norwood, London SE27: bulk reports, 1949-1960. Reference no. BN 62/1420 held at The National Archives.

• External Unit: See the Carlebach Collection c.1930-2000, for papers relating to Julius Carlebach a housefather of one of the Norwood Homes. The papers relate to his work at the Orphanage in Norwood, his academic career and his religious placements and engagements. Reference no. SxMs92 held by The Keep, Sussex.

Note: These records are closed for 75 years because they contain sensitive content.

• External Unit: See the Trades Advisory Council: reports on Norwood Jewish Orphanage, 1952. Reference no. ACC/3508/137 held at the London Metropolitan Archives: City of London.

• External Unit: See the Jews Orphan Asylum papers for minutes of the Ladies Society and the Education Committee relating to the Orphan Asylum before it merged with the Hospital 1852-1872. Reference no. ACC/2712/JOA held at the London Metropolitan Archives: City of London.

Note: These records are not available for general access.

• External Unit: See the Jewish Museum’s Photographic Archive for material relating to Norwood from c.1819-1994. Held at the Jewish Museum, London.

• External Unit: See the Stepney Children's Homes: Admission and discharge register collection for papers relating to the vaccination of children and transfer of children to Jewish Orphanage, West Norwood, 1933-1934. Reference no. LCC/EO/SS/07/053/001 for the collection and LCC/EO/SS/7/53/2-22 for papers of the vaccination register.

• External Unit: See Norwood Joint Committee for the Welfare of Jewish Children (Jewish Board of Guardians and Norwood Homes): bulk reports, for papers relating to the Jewish Board of Guardians and Norwood, 1966-1974. Reference no. BN 62/1421 held at The National Archives.

• External unit: See British Pathé website for footage of the Taxi Driver’s Outings 1955, 1960, 1961, 1962 and 1965. Enter ‘Taxi Driver’s Outings’ in the search engine or search via film id: 541.26 (1955), 1690.01 (1960), 1734.27 (1961), 1723.40 (1962), 1814.26 (1965). Note: British Pathé films are protected by copyright and any films purchased from their website are for personal viewing only.

• External Unit: See the Norwood Archives collection, for earlier material relating to the Jews’ Hospital, the Jew’s Orphan Asylum and the beginning of Norwood. Reference no. GB 738 MS 127 (AJ19) (AJ23) (A1054) (A3075), held at University of Southampton Libraries Special Collections.

• External unit: See the Jewish Orphanage, Norwood: Correspondence papers 1956-1962 for correspondence between the Orphanage and the Board of Directors of British Jews. Reference no. ACC/3121/E2/98 held at the London Metropolitan Archives: City of London.

• External Unit: See the Norwood Home for Jewish Children (Jewish Orphanage), Knight’s Hill, West Norwood, London: establishment and registration of various family group homes, 1962-1967. Reference no. BN62/3090 held at The National Archives.

Predominantly English. Some records are written in Hebrew but a translation has usually been provided, except for a small minority of earlier records from the nineteenth century.

127 boxes, 20 portfolios, 13 volumes, 8 items, 5 bdls

In accordance with Data Protection Act, access to certain records within the collection may be restricted. Requests for access to sensitive material will be reviewed on a case by case basis and you may be required to provide proof of your identity. To apply for access to a particular record please provide details of the document including reference number, description and any relevant dates.

Norwood is a Jewish charity that cares for children, families and adults with learning disabilities. It developed from two different institutions: The Jews? Hospital and Orphan Asylum (previously two separate institutions), Norwood Homes for Jewish Children, Norwood Child Care, The Ravenswood Foundation and Norwood Ravenswood.

The Jews? HospitalThe Jews? Hospital was established by two Jewish brothers, Abraham and Benjamin Goldsmid. The hospital was a charitable institution that cared for the sick, the elderly, the destitute and the young. It was established in 1807 at Mile End in London where it taught children Jewish religious studies and how to read and write. The hospital was patronised by Augustus Frederick (1773-1843), Duke of Sussex from 1815 and then George William Frederick Charles (1819-1904), Duke of Cambridge after 1843. Due to overcrowding and dilapidation the Jew?s Hospital moved to new premises in West Norwood, donated by philanthropists Barnett and Isabella Meyers.

The Jew?s Orphan AsylumThe Jew?s Orphan Asylum originated in 1831 and its purpose was to care for the general wellbeing and education of Jewish children who were deprived of both parents and (for a limited number) those with only one parent. It was originally located in Leman Street, London but due to increasing numbers moved to Tenter Ground at Goodman?s Fields in 1841. Like the Jews? Hospital, the asylum also received Royal Patronage from; Edward VII (1841-1910) King of Great Britain and Ireland [when he was Prince of Wales], Adelaide (1792-1849) Queen Consort of William IV, King of England, and Victoria (1786-1861), Duchess of Kent.

The Jews? Hospital and Orphan AsylumThe Jews? Hospital and the Jew?s Orphan Asylum amalgamated in 1876 to become the ?Jews? Hospital and Orphan Asylum?. A merger had been suggested as early as 1856 but was but was rejected on the grounds that the two institutions had different rationale. However, by the 1870s the both charities were struggling financially and so merged with another.

Dr. Henry Behrend was the first President of the new institution and tirelessly oversaw the extensions of the building so that more children could be accommodated. The Centenary Hall where the children ate was inaugurated by George (1819-1904), Duke of Cambridge and by 1911 Norwood was able to care for at least 400 children. Between 1908 and 1911 the Arnold and Jane Gabriel Home was built on the grounds of Norwood to cater for children between the ages of five and eight. After the Second World War two further residential homes, Samuel and Stephany House were built within the grounds in 1957. By 1961 Norwood had acquired nine houses in the neighbouring streets. Each home had a small group of boys and girls residing in them and they lived as a family group with their houseparent?s. The Family Houses were tied to the main institution but became more independent as time progressed. After the war children were no longer educated at the main institution, instead attending local schools for their education and living at the Norwood family homes.

Norwood Homes for Jewish ChildrenThe main Victorian building belonging to Norwood was demolished in the 1960s and a new synagogue and assembly hall built in its place. By this period Norwood had shifted its policy to more community-based services considering that it no longer had the financial outlay of maintaining a large-scale institution, it became known as ?Norwood Homes for Jewish Children.? In 1967 it incorporated the child welfare services previously provided by the Jewish Welfare Board assuming responsibility for the Highbury House Babies? Home and a hostel for unmarried mothers. However, as more help was made available to struggling families, generally fewer children took advantage of the service provided by the Norwood family homes and the last home closed in 1992.

Norwood Child CareIn the 1970?s Norwood Homes extended its activities into the field of disability and worked both independently and in partnership with a number of specialist organisations namely the Ravenswood Foundation. In 1982 Norwood Homes for Jewish Children changed its name to ?Norwood Child Care.?

The Ravenswood FoundationRavenswood was initially founded by the Jewish Association to Aid Backward Children in 1951. The association was set up by four sets of parents who had children with disabilities; their aim was to provide these children with education and residential care. Initially the school only accommodated boys and girls under the age of 15 but in 1958 the association opened Avenue House in Wokingham for the housing and training of boys over the age of 15. In 1959 they also bought 112 acres of farmland at Ravenswood which opened in 1964 and is known today as Ravenswood Village. As Ravenswood developed, a board of trustees known as the Ravenswood Foundation was established to administer the Ravenswood establishment. The foundation was supported and maintained financially by a network of aid societies called the National Association of Friends of Ravenswood and much like the Orphan Aid Societies for Norwood, raised funds for the foundation so that the trustees could run the institution.Ravenswood provides residential and life long learning services where it helps to develop independence through life skills courses and employment services. It was the first institution to introduce charity bike rides as a fundraising method and it set the precedent in 1992 with the first Biblical Cycle Ride from Dan to Beersheba, Israel.

Norwood RavenswoodAfter having worked with Ravenswood on a number of projects the two charities, Norwood Child Care and the Ravenswood Foundation, eventually merged in 1996 becoming Norwood Ravenswood and becoming the charity it is recognised as today, Norwood.

• The London Museum of Jewish Life and Norwood Child Care ‘What about the children? 200 Years of Norwood Child Care 1795-1995’ (1995).
• Harris, D M, ‘Max Sebba and Ravenswood’ (2012).
• Miriam Billis, ‘My Mother’s Daughter – Miriam’s Journey’, (2012). Book written by a Norwood Old Scholar who donated the proceeds of the book to the Norwood Old Scholar’s Association. The first part of the book reflects back on her time spent at the Orphanage.
• Cohen, L, 'Care and Conflict: The Story of the Jewish Orphanage at Norwood.' (2014) Peter Lang AG, International Verlag der Wissenschaften.
• Myers Sandra, 'Looking Back Moving Forward, A History of Norwood' - as yet unpublished.