Here's what happened to this old Hereford children's home

A member of our Facebook group We Grew Up in Hereford posted a photo of Folly House home for underprivileged children, which was at the top of Folly Lane.

Althea Evelyn John shared a photo of the back of the house, the lawn the children played is about it, and the doors you can see are the nursey school room doors, she said.

The doors in the photo are the nursey school room doors, which had a grand staircase.

Folly House in 1993

The involvement of local authorities in the running of children’s homes dates from 1930, when they took over the running of the poor relief system previously administered by Boards of Guardians.

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The house former county council children’s home, residential nursey home for a toy lending library.

In 1968 Hereford shops and workers at Broad Street Post Office, gave prizes towards a draw, and as a result £90 was raised for Folly House.

The man behind the fundraising was Mr Michael John Meredith, also known as Slim, who worked at the home. He was one of the home’s most consistent money-raisers.

In 1970 children, aged seven to 14, from the Belmont and Hunderton areas of the city arranged a performance which was presented to friends and relatives at St Martin’s Church.

Left to right: Two-man quadricycle ridden by boys from Folly House day centre in 1980, and Stuart Hayward from Folly House day centre with senior instructor Carolyn Green

Then in 1978 young apprentices aged 16 and 17 from Henry Wiggin and Co made tricycles and lever-operated carts for the home’s library.

The boys wanted to help handicapped youngsters get more out of life, said a report from the time.

In the 90s the house sat opposite Hereford’s main college which catered for nearly 10,000 students, but in 1995 it was dismantled and replaced by a new housing development.

Apprentices from Henry Wiggin and Co with children at Folly House's toy lending library

Before this there were plans to convert it into a public house by Wolverhampton and Dudley Breweries, in 1993, but there was criticism from the public at the time and the idea was dropped by the brewery.

People of Herefordshire have made a Facebook page called Friends of Folly House where they can remember the home.

Folly House in 1995 when it was dismantled

They remember the children’s home moving to Hill Rise, in Southbank Road, before the building was demolished, which accomodated 20 children.

Member Stuart Knight said he went to the education unit at the home.

“Such a shame it's been demolished,” he said.