The Orphan Asylum

The orphan asylum opened on 1st April, 1850, in what is now 46 Queen Street, Wolverhampton. The building had previously been the Old Dispensary which was Wolverhampton’s first hospital.

In the autumn of 1849 there had been a terrible outbreak of cholera that resulted in 730 deaths in Bilston, 720 deaths in Wolverhampton, 310 in Willenhall, and 55 in Wednesfield. As a result, many children lost their parents and their home.

John Lees. From 'A History of the Royal Wolverhampton School'.

 He decided to open an asylum and initially approached the Governors of the Blue Coat School with an offer of £2,000 for its establishment.

He hoped that they would use the money to move the school to larger premises which would include an asylum, but agreement on the matter could not be reached.

He then decided to use the ex-dispensary building in Queen Street and paid three years rent in advance before spending around £2,000 to make the necessary modifications to the building.

The Old Dispensary.

Initially thirteen orphaned boys were cared-for and clothed, fed and educated under the direction of a committee that looked after the running of the establishment. A little later another four boys and two girls were admitted to bring the number of children in care to nineteen. Only middle class children were chosen to enter the asylum because Lees believed that they were hardest hit by the epidemic. Diseased or crippled children were not considered, and no more than two could come from the same family. All children had to be between seven and eleven years of age and certificates had to be provided to show their state of health. Death certificates were also needed to prove that their parents had died.

Mr. Lees appointed twelve gentlemen to the committee and the Reverend William Dalton, who at the time was minister at St. Paul’s Church in Penn Road, provided religious instruction. Dr. Topham and Mr. George Edwardes offered their medical services free of charge to deal with any sick child and Thomas and Mrs. Sale were first master and matron.

Initially all expenses were paid by John Lees, but later money was raised by public subscription. Anyone subscribing one guinea a year could become a member of the institution and have one vote at the election of children, and an extra vote for each additional guinea subscribed.

John Lees realised that a larger asylum was essential in order to look after more of the many local orphans. Expansion in Queen Street was not a possibility and so he looked around for a suitable piece of land on which to build a larger orphanage. In March 1852 he purchased 2½ acres of land between Penn Road and Goldthorn Road for £1,000. It was conveyed to John Jeavons, William Henry Rogers and Henry Ward, who acted as trustees to ensure that the land would be appropriately used.

John Lees decided to spend £2,000 on the new buildings which would include a school and also to make an appeal for extra funding. He initially contacted Christ’s Hospital in London but had no success, and then appealed locally to raise money for a building fund, which initially raised around £6,500.

Building work soon got underway. The foundation stone was laid on 15th March, 1853 by the Rev. Dalton. Friends and subscribers met at St. Paul’s School in Merridale Street and walked up the hill to the new site to view the ceremony, led by the children (14 boys and 3 girls) and John Lees.

The new building was designed by Joseph Manning of Corsham, Wiltshire and built by John Elliot of Wolverhampton. It would provide accommodation for 50 boys and 30 girls. The building cost £6,000 and consisted of school rooms, dining rooms, sleeping rooms, a kitchen, master and matron’s rooms, sick wards, committee rooms, and an office. It opened on Wednesday 28th June, 1854. By the end of 1857 the fencing and entrance gates had been installed and work on the grounds and playgrounds had been completed. All of the rooms had been decorated and furnished, although only one wing was occupied. By this time the number of children had increased to 18 boys and 6 girls.

In 1860 an organ was built in the dining room by J. W. Walker of London and a Christmas tree party was held on two successive afternoons which attracted 1,500 visitors and raised £300. John Lees never recovered from his illness and died on 4th February, 1863 at the age of 59.

William Henry Rogers was a successful businessman who ran Henry Rogers, Son & Company Limited based in Union Street.

They manufactured products including components for steam engines such as cylinders and took out a number of patents for inventions relating to locks and cut nails. They also had premises in London, Sheffield and Paris. Many of their products were exported.

Henry was one of the two founders of the South Staffordshire General Hospital and Dispensary which opened its doors on 1st January 1849. He also gave generously to the building of Holy Trinity Church at Heath Town.

On 6th April, 1863 an extraordinary general meeting was held to discuss the possibility of extending the building by the addition of two wings, at an estimated cost of £5,500. It was agreed that the scheme should go ahead and tenders for the work were sought. On 21st April a tender from J. Cockerill of Darlington Street, Wolverhampton for £4,705 was accepted an work soon began. By the end of the year the new wings had been built and the installation of internal fittings and furnishings had began. The Enlargement Fund had raised £5,000 towards the cost. Also in 1863 the lodge was built. The cost was covered by the late John Lees' Bequest.

In 1864 the fountain at the front was built and dedicated to William Henry Rogers' wife, Mary Rogers. It was designed by P. E. Masly of London and sculpted by W. Farmer, also from London. By 1886 the number of children had reached 100 and by 1875 annual subscriptions amounted to nearly £1,800 and the income from endowments amounted to £1,400. Over the next 60 years or so many improvements were made to the buildings which were also extended and a number of new buildings added:

In 1883 there were 250 children and changes had to be made to the central hall in order to accommodate all of them. The Headmaster's House was built in 1885 for the new Headmaster Mr. A. T. Hawes. By 1899 there were 300 children and it was felt that the hospital accommodation was now inadequate. The medical officers, Dr. McMunn and T. Vincent Jackson recommended the provision of an isolation hospital. The new building, built at the rear of the hall with 20 beds was designed by F. T. Beck and built by Henry Willcock & Company for £2,196. At the same time, improvements were made to the kitchens, the out-offices and the laundry. In 1892 William Lees, who was the late John Lees's nephew,  became Chairman.