Cumberlow Lodge
Victorian building and remand home in South Norwood, England
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Cumberlow Lodge was a Victorian mansion and later children's institution in South Norwood, in the London Borough of Croydon, England. Originally built around 1878 as the private residence of inventor, engineer and philanthropist William Ford Robinson Stanley, the house occupied a six-acre site on former brickfield land between Lancaster Road and what later became Chalfont Road. The building subsequently served as a receiving home, approved school and remand home for girls during the twentieth century before being demolished in 2006.
| Cumberlow Lodge | |
|---|---|
Cumberlow Lodge in South Norwood, c.1933 | |
| Former names | Cumberlow |
General information | |
| Type | Private residence, Approved School, Remand Home |
Architectural style | Victorian |
| Location | Chalfont Road, South Norwood, London, England |
| Year built | c. 1878 |
| Demolished | 2006 |
| Owner | Various |
| Technical details | |
| Grounds | 6 acres (2.4 ha) |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect | William Ford Robinson Stanley |
History
Construction and private residence
Cumberlow Lodge, originally known simply as Cumberlow, was designed and built around 1878 by William Stanley as his personal residence. The house stood on a large landscaped estate in South Norwood, an area undergoing rapid suburban expansion during the late Victorian period. The site had previously been occupied by brickfields.
Stanley, founder of the Stanley engineering and instrument-making company, was a prominent figure in the development of South Norwood. His nearby philanthropic projects included Stanley Halls and the Stanley Technical Trade School.
Following Stanley's death in 1909, the property passed to the Lewisham Poor Law Union. It was adapted as a receiving home for children entering public care under the Poor Law system.[1]
Approved School
In 1930 the estate came under the administration of the London County Council. On 17 June 1935, Cumberlow Lodge was certified as an Approved school, in accordance with the Children and Young Persons Act 1933, for senior girls aged between 15 and 17.[2][3]
The school accommodated approximately 30 pupils and provided domestic and vocational training, including gardening and household management. An auxiliary hostel at 35 Lancaster Road accommodated girls preparing for employment before release on licence.
During the Second World War the school was evacuated to Addington Manor near Winslow, Buckinghamshire. Following the war, the institution returned to South Norwood but closed in 1949.
Remand home
In 1950 the premises reopened as the Cumberlow Lodge Remand Home for Girls. The home initially accommodated 24 girls awaiting court proceedings, later expanding to 48 places.[4] It also served as a classifying centre for girls, with special facilities for assessment and diagnosis centre, and employing psychiatrists and educational psychologists. Mary Bell, Britain's youngest female killer, was transferred there in December 1968.[5] In 1971, the institution applied for a grants of £1,000 over five years for a drug survey, under the Urban Programme by the Lambeth Borough Council.
Administrative responsibility later passed from London County Council to Lambeth Borough Council and subsequently to Croydon Borough Council. The institution became one of several approved remand facilities in London for juvenile offenders awaiting court decisions until at least 30 April 1989.[6]
Closure and demolition
Following closure as a remand home, the future of the site became the subject of prolonged debate between local residents, Croydon Council and developers.[7]
In 2006 the building was demolished by developers shortly after the English Heritage had begun considering it for statutory protection.[8] The demolition generated local controversy because of the building's historical associations with William Stanley and South Norwood's educational and social history.[9][10] Planning permission for a residential redevelopment of the site was granted in 2010.
The Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse published an investigative report on Lambeth Council in July 2021, which stated that staff members had committed sexual abuse at facilities including Cumberlow Lodge in the 1970s.[11][12]