Church of England Orphanage

The Church of England Orphanage was established in Surry Hills in 1893 by the Sisters of the Church. It initially girls and provided them with basic education and domestic training. Prior to 1905, the orphanage moved locations regularly, operating in rented properties in Surry Hills, Waverley, Chatswood and Paddington before moving permanently to Burwood. In 1907 a Committee took over running the orphanage and the Sisters ceased their involvement. After much fundraising, in 1912, the Orphanage moved to a purpose-built building on Weldon Street, Burwood. In 1918 the orphanage expanded, opening a Boys’ Home next door on Wyatt Avenue. In 1927, the Orphanage was incorporated under the Companies Act as The Church of England Children’s Homes, Burwood, creating a new institution.

In early 1893, the Sisters of the Church opened the Church of England Orphanage at their premises in Bourke Street, Surry Hills, which was being used as a used-clothing depot. In 1910 The Sydney Morning Herald (2 June 1910) reported that the orphanage “had been founded as the result of the terrible revelations of cruelty to, and neglect of children recorded in 1892”.

In May 1893 the Sisters rented Waverley House, on Old South Head Road, Waverley, for the purposes of running a school and orphanage. The Waverley Library Factsheet on St Gabriel’s School notes the orphanage was “initially housed in “Summaville”, a wooden cottage on elevated ground on the [Waverley House] grounds.”

In late 1895 the orphanage moved to a rented house on the corner of Johnson and Devonshire streets, Chatswood. The Evening News (27 November 1895) discussed how the property was surrounded by green paddocks; that five children lived in the orphanage; the need to charge an entrance fee to sustain the orphanage, though children were taken without it; and that children were kept until they were 21 and were being trained in domestic service.

It remained in Chatswood until around 1901, when it returned to Waverley House. It moved again in 1904 to a rented house on Glenmore Road, Paddington, before moving to Minna Street, Burwood, in 1905. During this time the orphanage was known by several names, including the Orphanage of Mercy, and the Kilburn Orphanage.

A former Anglican missionary, Bishop Stone-Wigg, created a committee of local church and business people to place the orphanage on a sound financial footing. This committee took over the running of the home from the Community of Sisters of the Church of England in 1907, with a matron in charge of the children. The orphanage was regularly engaged in fundraising activities, including through fetes, bazaars, giving appeals, and subscriptions, with the Committee leading regular calls for donation and support.

On 10 October 1908, The Daily Telegraph reported on the second annual meeting of the Church of England Orphanage, sharing that 17 children were in residence. They also reported that only £6 had been received from public donations and that they hoped to increase this in the future as they knew there was a high need for the orphanage.

The Sydney Morning Herald (2 June) reported in 1910 between 40 and 50 children had lived at the Church of England Orphanage since it opened. Noting that children had died while living there particularly in the early years, they shared that since 1900, “27 children had been cared for, three had gone out to service, three were privately adopted, two were otherwise cared for, and 19 remained in the Home. Twelve had no acknowledged relations.” The children in the Home at that time were aged from one to 15 years old. The same news article discussed the recent land purchase with the intention to “erect a substantial dwelling and training home, to hold 25 children…In the Orphanage the children, under the matron, Miss Ashe, were given a Christian home and taught to be useful.”

After much fundraising, in April 1912 the Governor of New South Wales laid the foundation stone for the orphanage on Weldon Street to have its first permanent and purpose-built building. This was completed within six months and opened by Archbishop Wright. The Sun (21 April 1912) noted that the Committee had previously had to reject admissions due to capacity issues, and “children are not taken under 12 months or over six years, but when taken they are kept until they are confirmed and old enough to go to work….At the present time there are about 19 children in the home, more than half of whom are under eight years of age.” By 1917 it was noted that many children in the orphanage were the children of soldiers in the war.

As the orphanage continued to grow a separate building located next door, on Wyatt Avenue, was purchased, renovated, and opened in August 1918 as part of the orphanage for boys. On 24 October 1919 The Daily Telegraph reported that 25 girls and 20 boys lived in the orphanage.

Not much is known about the activities of the orphanage, however The Manaro Mercury, and Cooma and Bombala Advertiser (16 April 1923) reported “The keynote of the education is religion but the children are easily taught to be useful, and the work of their tiny, though deft, fingers is turned to good account in addition to the returns from all manner of needlework and lace-making. Boys are instructed in garden and poultry industry between study hours.”

In 1927 the Homes were incorporated under the Companies Act, with limited liability, as The Church of England Children’s Homes, Burwood.