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East Moor Reformatory
Havent posted for a while so heres one!
The complex first opened in 1857 as the Leeds Reformatory for Boys. Up to the mid-C19, children who committed crimes were commonly sent to adult prisons as there was no separate provision. Philanthropic Societies and private founders set up some voluntary reformatories for young people in the early C19, but it was not until the Youthful Offenders Acts of 1854 that state registered institutions were established and pre-existing private reformatories were brought under state certification. Reformatories were distinguished from Industrial Schools by taking young people who had actually committed offences, as opposed to those who were merely destitute or neglected and in danger of falling into crime. By the end of 1857 there were 47 reformatory schools in England. Most of these occupied domestic buildings such as a farmhouse with land, or a detached house and garden. At least 14 were in new premises and four are known to have been built on a quadrangular plan. By 1876 the number of schools had risen to 53, but fell to 41 by 1894. The system was superseded by the Borstal system in the early C20 and many reformatories later became approved schools.
(Borstals were run by the prison service and dealt with older boys, approved schools/community homes were run by the local authority and dealt with a younger client group.)
The Adel Reformatory was founded in 1857 by the Leeds Society for the Reformation of Juvenile Offenders, on a site deliberately chosen to be removed from the temptations of the city. William Watson Hewitson of Kitson and Hewitson, locomotive builders and general engineers, was one of the founding members and also the designer of the earliest part of the building, the south-west range. There were around 50 boys at the school in 1858. The south-east range and headmaster’s house was added in 1860, when the attic floor of the initial range was converted to dormitories. The workshops of the north-east range, built by the boys in 1859, were rebuilt in 1881 after a fire, and a separate chapel to the south was added in 1882, designed by an unknown architect but apparently designed to function also as a lecture room and subsequently as a gym. There was no priest and the chapel was never consecrated. Surrounding land within the grounds was cultivated for crops and garden produce. The land was bought by Leeds City Council for £3,500 in 1875, having been leased to the Society by the (unknown) owner previously.
The buildings continued in use as an approved school named Eastmoor School from 1933 and then a community home when it was taken over by Leeds CC on 1st April 1973. It was then known as Eastmoor CHE, that is Community Home with Education. A number of separate houses were constructed around the core site from the 1950s onwards, but there has been little change to the C19 buildings externally. It closed in 1990 although the Secure Unit, which is a separate enterprise is still running. The site was leased to Leeds Metropolitan University from the late 1990s when the surrounding houses were used for student accommodation who left when a new campus opened in Headingley in 2003. In 1993 a secure unit for young offenders was built on part of the site, formerly open land also owned by Leeds City Council. It has been unused since c.2004 and has been marketed for housing development.
Popped in here early in the morn after a stop over at leeds & it had more to offer than expected including this beautiful fella I unfortunately disturbed.
Finally a sneak look into the church turned gym
Thanks For Looking
Havent posted for a while so heres one!
The complex first opened in 1857 as the Leeds Reformatory for Boys. Up to the mid-C19, children who committed crimes were commonly sent to adult prisons as there was no separate provision. Philanthropic Societies and private founders set up some voluntary reformatories for young people in the early C19, but it was not until the Youthful Offenders Acts of 1854 that state registered institutions were established and pre-existing private reformatories were brought under state certification. Reformatories were distinguished from Industrial Schools by taking young people who had actually committed offences, as opposed to those who were merely destitute or neglected and in danger of falling into crime. By the end of 1857 there were 47 reformatory schools in England. Most of these occupied domestic buildings such as a farmhouse with land, or a detached house and garden. At least 14 were in new premises and four are known to have been built on a quadrangular plan. By 1876 the number of schools had risen to 53, but fell to 41 by 1894. The system was superseded by the Borstal system in the early C20 and many reformatories later became approved schools.
(Borstals were run by the prison service and dealt with older boys, approved schools/community homes were run by the local authority and dealt with a younger client group.)
The Adel Reformatory was founded in 1857 by the Leeds Society for the Reformation of Juvenile Offenders, on a site deliberately chosen to be removed from the temptations of the city. William Watson Hewitson of Kitson and Hewitson, locomotive builders and general engineers, was one of the founding members and also the designer of the earliest part of the building, the south-west range. There were around 50 boys at the school in 1858. The south-east range and headmaster’s house was added in 1860, when the attic floor of the initial range was converted to dormitories. The workshops of the north-east range, built by the boys in 1859, were rebuilt in 1881 after a fire, and a separate chapel to the south was added in 1882, designed by an unknown architect but apparently designed to function also as a lecture room and subsequently as a gym. There was no priest and the chapel was never consecrated. Surrounding land within the grounds was cultivated for crops and garden produce. The land was bought by Leeds City Council for £3,500 in 1875, having been leased to the Society by the (unknown) owner previously.
The buildings continued in use as an approved school named Eastmoor School from 1933 and then a community home when it was taken over by Leeds CC on 1st April 1973. It was then known as Eastmoor CHE, that is Community Home with Education. A number of separate houses were constructed around the core site from the 1950s onwards, but there has been little change to the C19 buildings externally. It closed in 1990 although the Secure Unit, which is a separate enterprise is still running. The site was leased to Leeds Metropolitan University from the late 1990s when the surrounding houses were used for student accommodation who left when a new campus opened in Headingley in 2003. In 1993 a secure unit for young offenders was built on part of the site, formerly open land also owned by Leeds City Council. It has been unused since c.2004 and has been marketed for housing development.
Popped in here early in the morn after a stop over at leeds & it had more to offer than expected including this beautiful fella I unfortunately disturbed.
Finally a sneak look into the church turned gym
Thanks For Looking
