Islington Children’s Homes

Who will cry for the little girl
Who was placed in children's care?
Who will cry for the little girl
Abused again in there?

ISN Survivor: from poem 'Gift of Tears'

You, who worked for the authority

Took part in many of the distressing crimes, played around with young human minds

Never did you believe the time would come, when we would grow and move on;

With power to share, stories of time that has now gone.

The borough is aware of what happened and gave an apology as a whole.

They say if you worked in such a place, if you saw or heard of such disgrace,

Don’t be apprehensive. Come forward, speak out

Many of the voices telling the same story can only speak the truth.

ISN Survivor from his poem ‘Shameful Times’.

Full List of 42 Islington Children’s Homes

Click on each home’s link for further information – we are slowly covering every home from our research. This is not an exhaustive list and we do not have a great deal of detail on each home, at the moment. If you could supply further information or pictures please contact us.

The numbers of Islington Children’s Homes may change as work progresses and we learn more about individual homes. More survivors and witnesses are coming forward all the time which helps piece all the information together.

Angle Ways, Stevenage

17 Ardilaun Road, N5

Ashbrooke, 103 Park Avenue, Enfield, Middlesex

Ashley Road, London N19

Colgrain, 1 Dukes Avenue, Muswell Hill, N10 2PS

158 Collins Meadow, Hare Street, Harlow, Essex

14 Conewood Street / Park Place, Islington N5 1DL

Copthorne, 16-18 Village Road, Enfield, Middlesex

Dixton, Hadley Common, Barnet EN5 5QG

1 and 3 Elwood Street, Islington N5 1EB (demolished)

Gisburne House, 95 Gammons Lane, Watford, Hertfordshire (demolished)

Gorsefield House, Stansted, Essex

114 Grosvenor Avenue, Islington N5 2NY

60 Hare Street Springs, Hare Street, Harlow, Essex

71 Hemingford Road, Islington

11-12 Highbury Crescent, Islington N5 1RU

18 Highbury Grove, Islington N5 1HJ (known as the hostel)

29 Highbury New Park, Islington N5 2EN

80 Highbury New Park, Islington N5 2DJ

Holmleigh, 35 Solna Road, Winchmore Hill, N21

66 Hydean Way, Leaves Spring, Stevenage, Hertfordshire

44 Islington Park Street, Islington N1 1PX

Langley House, South Ockendon, Essex

75a Mildmay Park, Islington N1 4NB (known as Mac’s hostel)

35a Mildmay Park across the road from 75a Mildmay Park

132 Mildmay Road, Islington N1 4NE

17 and 28 The Muntings, Leaves Spring, Stevenage, Hertfordshire

New Park House, 1 Hanyards Lane, Cuffley, Hertfordshire

26-28 Northampton Park, Islington N1 2PJ

13 and 342 Northbrooks, Hare Street, Harlow, Essex

Oak Lodge, 32 Alexandra Rd, Wood Green, N8 0PN

26 and 39 Peartree Way, Leaves Spring, Stevenage, Hertfordshire

52-6 Ryecroft, Hare Street, Harlow, Essex

11 Sheringham Road, Islington N7 (demolished)

35 Solna Road, Winchmore Hill, N21

The Beeches, Suffolk (Islington and other Boroughs sent children here)

13 Torrington Park, North Finchley, London N12

Widbury House, Ware, Herts

Audit of children’s homes 1972-3 Council Minutes

Council Records on Numbers in LBI Care

1975: 562 children in and out of borough in residential placements. 33% in borough. 11 homes for 188 children in Islington (written on above map). 8 homes for 72 children in other London Boroughs. 14 homes for 144 children out of London. 158 children in voluntary sector homes. 219 foster homes in 9 Dec 1974). 9 adoptions between April 73 and March 74.

The above minutes record the number of children taken into care in 1978 as 376. The numbers who ran away is significant and supports survivor evidence of them running to escape abuse.

An Islington Council Newsletter dated 12.02.1981 stated that the number of children resident in children’s homes run by Islington had fallen from 270 to 240, which differs from the above.

12.3.81: A Guardian article ‘Children back strike by officers‘ reported 7 homes on strike and 23 not on strike – a total at that time of 30 Islington run homes.

1982-5: Council minutes stated, ‘the closure of our suburban out of London homes is now advanced’. The numbers in care had dropped from 788 (1982) to 547 (1985)

1982: LBI Residential children’s homes: 267, Private and Voluntary children’s homes: 39, Fostercare: 328, Home on Trial 39 TOTAL 788

1985: LBI Residential children’s homes: 145, Private and Voluntary children’s homes: ?, Fostercare: 293, Home on Trial 57 TOTAL 547

In 1990 Islington Council wrote that there were 100 children in residential care. It was said that this was half the number of a decade before (Islington Gazette 31.05.1990 ‘No place like home’).

In 1998, a report said there was no evidence of abuse of the “41 young residents” in Islington Council’s “seven children homes” (see article below). The authority had drastically reduced the number of children’s homes which they owned and managed.

Black and Ethnic Minority children in residential care.

Very little documentation is available other than the council minutes of 1986 which cite 50% of children in residential care as being of ‘black and other ethnic minority origin’. It is unlikely that this statistic includes foster care but it states that only 25% of ‘officer staff’ are from similar backgrounds. It is unclear who are ‘officer staff’. Survivors have consistently spoken to ISN about racism in all settings and their comments are included where they belong in the named homes and in foster placements.