Identification and description | |||||||
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Name | The former Harris Orphanage | ||||||
Location |
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Localisation | Latitude: 53.784764 Longitude: -2.7145322 National Grid Reference: SD 53018 32286 Map: Download a full scale map (PDF) |
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Overview | Heritage Category: Park and Garden Grade: II List Entry Number: 1001570 Date first listed: 14-Dec-2001 Date of most recent amendment: 21-Dec-2021 Location Description:Harris Knowledge Park at SD 53018 32286 |
Edmund Robert Harris was a wealthy lawyer who acquired a fortune through investment
in the railways in the mid-C19. At his death in 1877 he bequeathed £300,000 for philanthropic
purposes in memory of the Harris family, including the formation of what became known
as the Harris Museum in Preston and the Harris Orphanage. In 1881 a plot of ground
in open agricultural land to the north of Preston, about 5.5 hectares in area, was
acquired by the Harris Trustees as the site for the orphanage. In 1884 a Building
Committee was formed, and it was decided to build a village homes-type orphanage for
120 children in the domestic style pioneered by Dr Barnardo at Barkingside, north-east
London, in 1876. Benjamin Sykes was selected to be the architect.
The landscape was designed by George Rowbotham (1833-1898), Preston Park’s Superintendent,
who was influenced by the fashionable designers of the day; Edward Milner (whom he
had helped with the laying out of Avenham, Miller and Moor Parks), Edward Kemp, John
Claudius Loudon and Joseph Paxton. The designers considered landscape composure as
an art form, relying on form, shade and colour. In October 1884 the Building Committee
sought and gained permission from the Preston Corporation Parks Committee for George
Rowbotham to provide 'advice and assistance ... for the laying out of the roads and
grounds' (Minute Book, 1884-1891). Early in 1885 Rowbotham is reported in the Minutes
as having provided a report and sketch plan indicating the best mode of laying out
the orphanage grounds, but it was not until early in 1888, with the buildings nearing
completion, that this work began in earnest (the sketch plan does not appear to survive,
2021). Rowbotham employed and supervised the men working on the project, and in September
1888 advertised for tenders for the supply of 6,000 trees and shrubs, for which a
copy of the list of sixty-three species and varieties survives (Harris Museum). Woody
material was also supplied from surplus at the nearby Whittingham Lunatic Asylum (letter,
October 1888, Harris Museum). At least £660 was paid in men's wages for the manual
work that year, with an additional £80 for trees and shrubs, and Rowbotham himself
was paid £75 in February 1889 for 'his services and trouble in connection with laying
out and superintending the formation of the grounds and selecting the trees and shrubs
for planting the same' (Minute Book, 1884-1891). The first child was admitted in November
1888.
The original site layout is depicted on the 1:10,560 Ordnance Survey (OS) map surveyed
1891-1892 (Published 1895) and in greater topographical detail on the 1:2,500 OS map
published in 1893. The site is annotated ‘Harris Orphanage' and is fully enclosed
in order to create a secure environment for its orphanage purpose; this was smaller
than today, with its western boundary situated about 65m east of its present location.
There is tree planting along the north boundary with a wider strip of woodland derived
from a former orchard to the north-west corner, and informal tree planting to the
south boundary as far as the infirmary building. The eastern two thirds of the site
contained the orphanage buildings and their associated landscaping, and the western
third comprised a large area of ground with scattered trees, possibly derived from
former field boundaries, to the interior, and a small rectangular feature annotated
‘tank’. Tree and shrub planting provide the transition between the orphanage buildings
and their landscaped environs, and the open space to the west; there is clear access
between the two areas, especially at the north end of the site between the stable
and laundry, where tracks or footpaths are depicted; one of these was a pre-existing
feature, that been retained as part of the orphanage layout. This open space was clearly
an intrinsic part of the orphanage site, and although historic maps and documents
do not indicate its function, it is considered to be a recreation ground for additional
exercise and other uses. In the early-C20 a pond and associated planting was added
adjacent to the infirmary (now Pond House), and an orchard was planted in the south-west
corner between 1893 and 1910. A sub-divided parcel of land formerly associated with
Windsor House to the west, about 1 hectare in area, was acquired during the early
C20 and was gradually incorporated into the orphanage site, and existing planting
to the north and south boundaries was subsequently extended westwards. The 1958 1:1,250
OS map annotates the original open space as ‘Playing Fields’, which is repeated on
the 1968 revision. An aerial photograph dated to the 1960s shows that part of the
subdivided additional parcel to the west of the playing fields was subject to grass
cutting, which could be agricultural and related to haymaking, or have a more recreational
use. This area is connected to the main orphanage site by a track. In the early C21
the playing fields were used as a cricket pitch.
In 1940 the orphanage school was leased by Lancashire County Council and after the
Second World War the orphanage was renamed the Fulwood and Cadley County School (Harris
Orphanage Department). It closed in 1982 and was leased to Preston Polytechnic, in
1985 being bought outright for student accommodation for the Polytechnic. In 2000
the Polytechnic became the University of Central Lancashire: the site was developed
as the Harris Knowledge Park and the buildings were converted to office use, with
additional areas of hardstanding/vehicular parking. Today (2021) the site is in private
ownership and is occupied by two domestic dwellings (Ashleigh House and Beech House),
otherwise the buildings stand empty.
LOCATION, AREA, BOUNDARIES, LANDFORM, SETTING The roughly 6.5 hectare site lies three
km north of the centre of Preston adjacent to the west side of the main northern approach
to Preston, Garstang Road, in the suburb of Fulwood. It occupies largely level ground,
with a slight fall from east to west. The north side is bounded by a school and Regent
Park Road. To the west it is bounded by the gardens of houses in Black Bull Lane,
and to the south by the gardens of houses in King's Drive. The east side of the site
is bounded by Garstang Road, the boundary now marked by a privet hedge and formerly
by iron railings. The other boundaries are largely marked by C20 fences with mature
trees/areas of woodland along their insides. The setting is suburban, with the late-C19
former Little Sisters of the Poor Convent standing in its own grounds on the east
side of Garstang Road. The eastern edge of the site overlooks the Residence and its
grounds.
ENTRANCES AND APPROACHES The site is approached from the east off Garstang Road via
a gateway (listed Grade II) set back off the road at the south-east corner of the
site. The carriage entrance is flanked by banded stone piers about 3m high supporting
iron railings. These piers are in turn flanked by further piers in similar style marking
two pedestrian entrances, these in their turn flanked by low, convex stone walls leading
back out to the pavement and terminated by further piers in similar style. The walls
support late-C20 replacement iron railings, the originals removed when the entrance
was widened, and the structures moved and rebuilt slightly to the west. On the west
side, immediately inside the gates stands a single-storey lodge (listed Grade II),
dated 1887 on the gable, with a weighbridge outside in the drive. The lodge is built
in Vernacular Revival style, of red brick with stone dressings. Immediately west of
the lodge the drive divides to north-west and south-west, forming a circuit around
the buildings.
To the north-west the drive leads to a turning circle outside the former schoolmaster's
house occupying the south end of the principal building which also contains the former
schoolrooms and chapel. From the turning circle the drive continues north, along the
east side of the principal building, with spurs leading west to the entrances to the
girls' and boys' entrances respectively. The drive curves west around the north side
of the chapel, continuing west in serpentine fashion, overlooked by the entrance fronts
of a row of four villas to the north and overlooking the green to the south. Some
100m west of the chapel the drive curves south between the east side of the single-storey
former laundry block and the west side of the green. The drive turns east 130m south-west
of the chapel, to continue along the south side of the estate, overlooked by the entrance
fronts of a second row of four villas. From here it returns north-east to complete
the circuit north-west of the lodge.
Spurs off the main circuit drive give access to the northern, service sides of both
rows of villas, as well as the rear, west side of the principal building. These spurs
link together to form a further circuit for service purposes which intersects with
the main drive west of the green, with short drives leading off to give individual
access to the north, rear side of each villa and the west side of the principal building.
A further spur leads west off the south-west corner of the main circuit drive, giving
access to Pond House, the former orphanage infirmary, standing isolated 180m south-west
of the chapel.
The drive system was laid out by Rowbotham in 1888 and survives as depicted on the
OS 2,500 map of 1893.
PRINCIPAL BUILDINGS The former orphanage buildings form a group around the central
green. The largest, principal building forms the easternmost of this group and contains,
from south to north, the schoolmaster's house, school, and chapel (listed Grade II).
It is built of red brick with stone dressings in Gothic style. The entrance to the
schoolmaster's house lies at the south-east corner, sheltered by a stained-glass porch.
The linked schoolroom extends north from this, entered externally from the east via
separate entrances for girls, at the south end, and boys, at the north end. Set in
the lawn between these two entrances is the War Memorial of about 1924 (listed Grade
II), with a 2m high granite pedestal supporting a white stone statue of a very youthful
soldier, to commemorate the 'old boys' of the Orphanage who died in the First World
War. At the north-east corner of the school a tall bell tower with a spire stands
over the boys' entrance, this tower and spire being visible from much of the site
and its surroundings. To the north of this is the chapel, aligned west to east and
entered from the boys' entrance in the tower, and from the north end of the schoolroom.
To the north of the green stands a row of four detached, two-storey, brick-built villa
residences (listed Grade II), Glen Rosa, Oak House, Ashleigh, and Beech House, built
for the male orphans. The villas are to several different patterns, of red brick with
stone dressings, in Vernacular Revival style. They overlook and are entered from the
circuit drive to the south running along the north edge of the green, with service
entrances on the north sides. Glen Rosa, the westernmost of these villas, retains
a stone-flagged path leading up to the front door, and is also considered to have
served as a schoolteacher’s residence rather than housing orphans. To the south of
the green stands a further row of four villas (listed Grade II), Chestnuts, Poplar,
Holly House, and Laurels. These were built for the female orphans, in similar style
to those for the males, but with the service fronts overlooking the green to the north.
One of these, probably the westernmost example is said to have housed several infants.
Some 20m south-west of the principal building stands the brick-built Clayton Hall,
the former gymnasium, built about 1914 and converted to offices in the early C21.
To the west of the green stand two original single-storey buildings flanking the main
drive, that to the west being the former laundry. The former stable block stands 120m
north-west of the chapel at the north-east edge of the playing fields.
GARDENS AND PLEASURE GROUNDS The gardens and pleasure grounds are laid out informally
and comprise several discrete areas which merge into each other: the eastern lawns
overlooked by the front of the principal building and dividing it from Garstang Road;
the individual garden areas around the villas; the green; and the western part of
the site, interpreted as a recreation area, and mostly used as playing fields since
the mid-C20. A feature of the site is the ground modelling with raised beds planted
with mature trees and shrubs; together these provide relief in an otherwise largely
level site, both masking and directing views across the site.
The eastern lawns are bounded to the south and west by the drive, and beyond this
are overlooked by the lodge and the principal building respectively. The eastern boundary
of the lawns, fronting Garstang Road, is marked by a privet hedge and a line of mature
trees. The southern section of the lawns, lying opposite the school entrances, occupies
a dip which is bounded to the north and east by irregularly shaped raised beds containing
mature trees and shrubs. The northern section of the lawns extends to the north-east
corner as an open lawn surrounded by mature trees, entered via a grass path off the
circuit drive at the north-east corner of the chapel. The level nature of this area
suggests it was possibly the former site of a tennis court; today a children’s playpark
has been inserted. To the west of the principal building its serpentine service drive
sinks slightly in the middle, overlooking the green to the west, and is flanked by
informal plantings of mature trees and shrubs.
Each detached villa has its own area of garden lawn on the south, entrance side, through
which runs a path to the front door. The approach paths were originally flanked by
raised shrub beds. To the south of the female villas there is an access drive, and
beyond this the southern boundary is set at the top of a gentle grassed slope with
tree planting. The north sides of the female villas are also ornamented with soft
landscaping, between which run the service drives and paths to the villas. North of
the male villas there is a large area of hard surfacing parking.
The central green occupies the heart of the site, and forms a central space around
which the villas are all framed. It provides an attractive focal point to the site,
and embodies the 'village' feel which was central to the philosophy behind this style
of orphanage. It also provided a play space for children and may have been the location
for more formal sports with spectators. It is reached directly from the villas to
north and south and is overlooked by the chapel spire. The former gymnasium, Clayton
Hall, stands at the south-east corner, and to its north there is a second inserted
children’s play park, and to the west stands a small, decorative wooden seating shelter.
At the west end of the green stands a single-storey cottage, converted to an office.
The western part of the orphanage site comprises a large, rectangular, grassed area
about 180m by 180m, considered primarily to be a recreation ground. The transition
between this and the orphanage buildings is marked by the groundworks associated with
the site's landscaping, which are planted with mature trees and shrubs (many of which
appear to be self-seeded descendants of the original planting). The northern end is
more open and there is clear access between the orphanage buildings and the western
part of the site. The open, grassed area is bounded on the north and south sides by
mature trees and strips of woodland, sinuous to the south boundary where there are
the remains of a former orchard, and the west boundary is marked by intermittent tree
planting. At the south-east corner lies an irregularly shaped pond, and at the north-east
corner is an area of hardstanding formerly associated with a late-C20 cricket pavilion.
An early example of a charitable orphanage landscape laid out between 1884 and 1888 by Preston's Parks Superintendent, George Rowbotham, with a group of 'village homes' around a 'village green'.
This garden or other land is registered under the Historic Buildings and Ancient Monuments Act 1953 within the Register of Historic Parks and Gardens by Historic England for its special historic interest.
The former Harris Orphanage landscape is registered at Grade II for the following
principal reasons:
Design interest: * the site is an important early example of the ‘village homes’ orphanage
pioneered by Dr Thomas Barnardo using individual domestic-scale homes set within enclosed,
informal landscaped grounds; * designed and laid out by the Superintendent of Preston’s
Parks, George Rowbotham, who was influenced by the design principals of the eminent
landscape designers Edward Milner and Joseph Paxton; * it comprises a range of different
character areas providing a range of functions, which are historically, aesthetically
and functionally intertwined.
Historic interest: * it illustrates a shift in attitudes to the welfare of children
from the provision of shelter at the workhouse to social care; * the development of
the site is an example of Victorian philanthropy by national figure Edmund Robert
Harris who bequeathed money for philanthropic purposes in memory of the Harris Family.
Survival: * it is a remarkably intact purpose-designed orphanage of the period with
a complex of buildings and landscape serving a fully functioning community; * its
layout, historic character and principal features survive virtually intact allowing
a coherent and legible understanding of a late-C19 orphanage.
Group value: * it benefits from a strong group value with the Grade II-listed orphanage
buildings, including the principal building, designed by Benjamin Sykes.
Books and journals
Hartwell, C, Pevsner, N, The Buildings of England: Lancashire North, (2009), 541
Websites
Gazetteer of children's homes, accessed 20-10-2021 from http://www.childrenshomes.org.uk/PrestonHarris/
ODNB entry for Edmund Robert Harris, accessed 11-10-2021 from https://www.oxforddnb.com/view/10.1093/ref:odnb/9780198614128.001.0001/odnb-9780198614128-e-64035
Other
Archival items Sale Particulars, 1984 (Preston Local Studies Library) A collection of material relating to the Harris Orphanage is held at the Harris Museum, Preston, including Building Committee Minute Book 1884(91; tenders for supplying trees and shrubs, 1888; and other correspondence. Further material is held at Lancashire County Record Office, Preston.
Preston Herald Article dated Saturday February 25 1888: description of orphanage buildings