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The Boys' Farm Home, Church Farm, East Barnet

A Home Office Certified Industrial School - 1860-1933

By Gillian Gear

The Boys' Farm Home was established in 1860 as a branch home of the London Boys' Home that was initially founded in 1858 in Euston Road, London. Both schools came under the 1857 Industrial Schools Act and were certified as industrial schools under that act. This allowed them to receive government funding.

Boys could be admitted either as voluntary cases or through the courts. Voluntary cases were usually sponsored financially by an individual, cases that were sent through the courts were frequently sent their through the intervention of the London School Board.

They were generally aged around 10 to 12 on admission but some younger and some older boys were admitted. At the age of fifteen they were found jobs by the managers and for two years the school kept in touch with their former boys and were paid a fee by the government to do this.

Whilst at the school boys were kept extremely busy. They learnt trades, had basic education and were encouraged to take up sports. The swimming pool that is now used by local schools was originally built for the boys.

Photo:The 1926 buildings of the Boys Farm Home

Photo:A mother writes thanking the Boys' Farm Home for the care of her son.

Photo:The London School Board received applications for boys to be placed out from the Boys' Farm Home on license.

Photo:The Hitchin Union applied to the Boys' Farm Home to allow boys from their district to attend the school and agreed to contribute towards the cost.

Photo:One of the Staples brothers, an old boy who became a member of staff with a group of boys

Photo:Once a year former boys returned for a reunion at the farm

Photo:Boys and staff on parade outside the schoolhouse

Photo:Boys provided a service delivering their milk around the neighbourhood

Photo:A swimming pool was provided to promote the health of its boys

This gallery was added by Gillian Gear on 23/09/2009.

Comments about this page

Dear Gillian, This page about The Boys' Farm Home, with the photos, is fantastic! Herbert William Staples is my 2X Great Grand Uncle! (I believe that's him as Assistant Schoolmaster, sitting with the children). Herbert and his older brother Edwin Howell Staples were both placed in the school when their parents died in the 1870s. Herbert later returned to the school to teach.

By Glen Cunningham
On 19/06/2012

Dear Gillian, My relative, Glen Cunningham, pointed me towards your write up about the Boys Home farm. Herbert William Staples was my grandfather, and was a maths teacher in the school, as well as being a house father as he and my grandmother lived on the school premises. As a result my father and his brother were educated there and I have two photos of the boys at work on the farm. I also went to the school when it had become the Churchhill Road County Primary school. When I was there our Headmaster was a Mr (Jack) Horner, who I believe had been a pupil at the school. I cannot see the pictures clearly enough to recognise my Grandfather. The school had not changed much in the 1940's when I was there, but we were not aware that there was a swimming pool

By Pam Wootton-Davies(nee Staples)
On 20/06/2012

Dear Gillian I wonder if you could tell me how and where I could get any infomation on my grandfather Charles Edward Patrick Who was at the school in 1911. Many thanks.

By Darren Patrick
On 22/06/2012

Dear Gillian I have come across some life saving swimming certs of my late fathers from 1945 from the school I was wondering if I could find any info on when my father was there and why his name was Arthur William Loynes many thanks I look forward to hearing from you.

By sandra groves
On 02/04/2013