The Royal Orphanage

On 23rd July, 1900 the Duke and Duchess of York came to Wolverhampton to open the new wing of the infirmary and to distribute prizes. On arrival they were conducted to the Central Hall where they were greeted by the Chairman Mr. William Lees and his wife, members of the Board, the Ladies' Committee and members of staff. Afterwards they opened the new wing of the infirmary and were entertained at a luncheon in the orphanage grounds.

They then crossed over Penn Road to a large marquee that had been erected on the field opposite, which had been acquired by the orphanage four months previously. They were welcomed by roughly 3,250 members and friends of the charity, of which the Duke and Duchess became Vice Patrons.

After much correspondence with the Duke's Private Secretary, Chairman William Lees obtained approval to use the prefix "Royal" in recognition of 50 years work. During the Duke's speech he announced that in future the institution will be known as the Royal Orphanage of Wolverhampton.

When the Duke and Duchess departed, the guests were given tea.

The Senior School. From 'A History of the Royal Wolverhampton School'.

During the late 19th century the number of children in residence had slowly been increasing. In 1906 the Board of Education indicated that the boys' classrooms, dormitories and dining hall were all overcrowded. The Board of Governors decided that the problem had to be urgently rectified. They decided to add an additional wing to the building that would contain classrooms and dormitories, and to enlarge the boys' dining hall. They also decided to add a hot water system. Around £2,700 was raised to fund the alterations.

On 13th February, 1907, William Lees resigned as Chairman. He was succeeded by E. J. Chambers. In 1908 the Board of Governors decided that no children would be admitted, unless they could read and write. Also in 1908 the boys' toilets and the girls' schoolroom were improved, and a new girls' dining hall and dormitory were added in 1909. In August 1910, E. J. Chambers resigned and was replaced by Sam Wells Page.

From the 1908 Wolverhampton Red Book.

A group of senior boys. From the 1908 Wolverhampton Red Book.

A group of senior girls. From the 1908 Wolverhampton Red Book.

The orphanage was 60 years old in 1910. To commemorate the occasion new extensions were planned, which included a classroom, a reading room, a physics and chemistry laboratory and a large dormitory for the boys, and two new wings for the girls' school containing a classroom, a reading room and dormitories. The buildings were designed by F. T. Beck and built by Henry Willcock & Company.

The opening ceremony took place on 7th July, 1911 with full Masonic honours. The Earl of Dartmouth, Principal Grand Master of Staffordshire and Senior President of the orphanage, along with 500 freemasons took part in a ceremony which included a presentation of prizes by the Countess of Dartmouth. In a speech the Earl announced that the new boys' wing would be called the King Edward VII Wing and the girls' wings would be the Queen Alexandra Wings.

In 1911 another 70 children were admitted to bring the total to 330. By 1914 there were 350 children. At the outbreak of war in 1914, some members of staff decided to join the armed forces. Initially 6 assistant masters joined-up, to be followed by another 20 as the war progressed. Because of the difficulties caused by the staff shortages, the Headmaster the Rev. Frank Lampitt decided to train some of the school leavers as assistant masters providing they agreed to remain in that role for 4 or 5 years. Staff shortages were a problem for some time because they were on a lower salaries than teachers at other educational establishments and there was no pension scheme.

A group of junior boys. From the 1913 Wolverhampton Red Book.

A group of junior girls. From the 1915 Wolverhampton Red Book.

In January 1921 the Rev. W. Louis Allen was appointed as the new headmaster after the death of the Rev. Frank Lampitt, and in June of that year a formal application was made to he Board of Education for the establishment to be recognised as a Secondary School. On 27th July, senior members of staff attended a meeting at the Board of Education, and in October the school was inspected. The Board's inspectors announced that the boys' school was almost good enough for recognition, but the girls' school was a long way off. It was thought that the girls should spend less time on domestic training, such as learning to sew and working in the laundry, and more time should be spent on academic subjects. Suggested improvements for the boys' school included the appointment of better qualified teaching staff, the adoption of the Burnham Scale, and the extension of the leaving age to 16.

The Board accepted the inspectors' findings, and on 22nd February, 1922 the boys' school became an officially recognised Secondary School. The school was inspected again in March 1924. The inspectors' findings were as follows:

The leaving age has been raised and there is a good entry for the First School Examination. In December, I923, eight boys entered for the Cambridge School Certificate and all of them passed, three of them with Honours; and the same three gained exemption from the London Matriculation. There are now several boys doing work of a post-matriculation standard, two of them working for Open Scholarships. The staffing on the boys' side may be considered satisfactory; four Masters all with Honours degrees have been appointed since the Full Inspection.

The report on the girls' school was not so complimentary, which resulted in extensive improvements including more classrooms, better swimming facilities, bedrooms for the assistant mistresses and domestic staff, and improvements to the heating system and the electric lighting. Two acres of land were acquired for use as a girls' recreation ground which was opened by the Countess of Lichfield on 21st July, 1927.

After a successful inspection in 1927, an application for recognition of the girls' school was made to the Board of Education, and on 1st August, 1927 the girls' school was officially recognised as a Secondary School.

From the Royal Orphanage Souvenir Book for 1924.

In 1928 a new wing was added to the girls' school to provide extra dormitories and two common rooms. It was opened by the Earl of Dartmouth on 26th July, 1929. By March 1931 there were 224 boys and 112 girls in the school. In June 1930 the Graiseley Old Hall estate owned by Mr. George Green was on the market. It was purchased by the orphanage in order to increase the size of the playing fields on the opposite side of Penn Road.

The girls' dining hall. From the 1924 Royal Orphanage Souvenir Year Book.


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