BEACON LODGE

One Hundred Years of Care

BEACON LODGE
One Hundred Years of Care

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Much help and information was given by Mr. Brian
McCarthy, Mrs. Peggy Bloome, the Hornsey Historical Society and
the Hornsey Journal. Thanks also go to Brian McCarthy for proofreading, and to staff at Integrated Care for helping with the
production of the history.
The text was researched, compiled and written by
Ruth Garnsworthy, Sheila Wheeler and Ann Jones, all trustees of
Beacon Lodge.
January 2007

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THE HISTORY OF BEACON LODGE
(1) 1907 1939 RESCUE AND REFUGE
On Friday, April 19th, 1907, a group of local Church of
England worthies met in the drawing room of the Rector of Hornsey,
the Rev. F.N. Thicknesse. They were concerned by the numbers of
young women who had left or been abandoned by their families and
were living in desperate circumstances of poverty and vice no
welfare state in those days, and many were obliged to resort to
prostitution to feed themselves.
To organise the rescue and
restoration of these shattered lives, a committee was set up consisting
of the Hornsey Deanery vicars and rectors, together with a lady
representative from each parish. From the start these ladies played an
active part in the new organisation, offering practical help and advice.
Amongst them from the beginning was Mrs. Elizabeth Bradley, from
St. Lukes. She it was who suggested that their first step should be to
employ a lady Rescue Worker to assess the extent of the problem, and
in July Miss Kubler (later known as Miss Ridley a less Germanic
name?) was appointed. All churches in the deanery were asked to
contribute 7 to 10 a year towards costs; Miss Kubler was to be
paid 90 per annum plus travelling expenses.
Miss Kubler lost no time in making contact with
women in need: in her first six months she made 215 visits and a
further 32 women contacted her. Some were sent to refuges at a cost
of five shillings a week, and some were sent to maternity homes. At
the end of the first year, receipts amounted to 199 2s. lld. and
payments were 147 10s. 2d. It soon became clear that premises
were needed where the women wanting to make fresh start could be
safe while further arrangements were made for them. A rented room
proved a failure; in desperation Miss Kubler was taking girls back to
her own lodgings. At last in January 1909 the Committee found a

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house to rent (45 per annum) at 109 Tollington Park, Stroud Green.
It was big enough to house eight girls, with accommodation for Miss
Kubler (whose salary was reduced to 35) and a room to be used as a
chapel. On the 13th April, 1909, the house was dedicated and named
Beacon Lodge.
From the start it was intended that girls would only
stay at Beacon Lodge until arrangements were made for them to
move on. Girls felt to be at risk were often sent to refuges or
Houses of Mercy for up to a year, whilst Beacon Lodge paid for
pregnant girls to go to maternity homes to have their babies, who
were usually either adopted or fostered. Some girls were offered
work as servants in the homes of wealthier local parishioners, a few
went back to their families or got married. And three or four ran
away!
The ladies of the committee worked hard in their
parishes to raise funds for Beacon Lodge, whose finances were
always precarious, especially after the appointment in 1912 of a
much-needed second worker to do the visiting. Parishes would hold
Pound Days, where people were encouraged to contribute either 1 in
cash or 1 lb. in weight of something useful, ranging from flour and
tea to coal and knitting wool. The Pound Day in 1914 raised 22
and 416 lb. in kind. There were constant requests from Beacon
Lodge for gifts such as crockery and furniture. Secondhand clothes
were always needed if the things sent are quiet and neat to kit out
the girls for their new lives. Boots and shoes were asked for,
especially large ones (!) A uniform was bought for a girl starting
nursing, and warm clothes were given to a girl leaving for Canada.
Sewing parties were organised by the ladies to make clothes,
especially for the babies. And every year the Committee asked for
donations of dripping!

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From the beginning great emphasis was given to the
girls spiritual welfare. Beacon Lodge had a chapel and a chaplain, a
member of the local clergy who came every week to take services
and teach the girls. Babies were baptised and many girls were
confirmed. Once a year a special service was held at one of the local
churches at which the President, usually the area Bishop, would
preach and often berate congregations for their lack of support!
The outbreak of war in 1914 brought changes. The
number of girls who were pregnant rose sharply, and in many cases
fathers who were away fighting (or killed) no longer contributed to
their childrens keep, so that Beacon Lodge had to contribute in more
cases to the cost of fostering. Some girls who had found work as
dressmakers or milliners now lost their jobs, though 4 girls in 1916
were found jobs in munitions work, and one worked on building
aeroplanes. The need for Beacon Lodge was greater than ever, and
the staff of two dealt with 113 girls in 1917 alone.
One big problem was that girls who had started new
lives in the area still needed help, and for many Beacon Lodge was
the only home they knew. Servants who lived in were frequently
turned out when their employers went away on holiday, and others
came in on their days off, feeling isolated and lonely. They were
never turned away. In 1914, 225 extra meals were provided in the
space of two months. Some who went out to work paid to sleep at
Beacon Lodge, but this left few beds for new cases. It was felt,
however, that the care of those who are striving to live victoriously
was a very important part of the work.
In 1919, Miss Kubler resigned, worn out. (Her
successor, Miss Smith Shand, also left because of ill-health in 1924
Beacon Lodge has always demanded a great deal from its staff.)
There were other problems as well. The landlord of the property

The St Agnes window in

the former chapel, a
memorial to Miss
Ridley, Beacon Lodges
first superintendent.

The portrait of Lt.

James Bradley, killed
in World War One,
which hangs in the hall
at Beacon Lodge. His
parents financed the
purchase of the
premises in his
memory.

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intended to terminate the tenancy as soon as he could, and to sell the
house. He was asking 700 for it, a sum quite beyond the means of
the Association. It looked as if the work of Beacon Lodge might
come to an end.
Elizabeth Bradley had been one of the original
committee members and had continued to work for Beacon Lodge
ever since. In 1920 her husband, James Bradley, took over the role of
Treasurer, and he came up with an ingenious solution to Beacon
Lodges financial problems. He and his wife were comfortably off
and sadly childless, their only son (also James) having died of his
wounds just weeks before the end of the war. He proposed to
finance the purchase of 109 Tollington Park in exchange for an
annuity of 45 per annum to be paid to him and/or his wife by
Beacon Lodge for the rest of their lives. As the annual report put it:
It was with feelings of intense relief and gratitude that an offer was
accepted from an unknown friend to provide the purchase money
for Beacon Lodge . When it was found that the unknown friend
was none other than Mr. James Bradley, who, with Mrs. Bradley, has
so long been a friend to the work the discovery was greeted with a
spontaneous burst of applause, and the vote of thanks passed to Mr.
Bradley was an expression of a very real regard and appreciation.
The following year the staff was increased to three:
the Superintendent and two workers, who spent many evenings
contacting girls thought to be at risk in dangerous places such as
parks - and cinemas! Most of Beacon Lodges income came from
the local churches, with variable results. Some failed to meet the
requisite 15, whilst others exceeded this. One church instituted a
subscription of 1d. a week and it was hoped that other churches
would do likewise. Money was beginning to come in from local
authorities such as the Magistrates in Highgate and the Edmonton and
Barnet Guardians as the value of the Trusts work began to be known

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and appreciated. It was felt that Beacon Lodge needed to expand,
and in 1928 the Tollington Park house was sold and a larger house
purchased (again with the financial assistance of Mr. Bradley) at 79
Crouch End Hill. This was named Newbeacon and the staff and
residents moved in.
Immediately they ran into difficulties.
It was
discovered that the use of this house was restricted to educational
activities, and the local council ruled that Beacon Lodge did not fall
into this category. After some months fighting this ruling, the Trust
had to accept defeat and move out. They were fortunate to find a
buyer: Middlesex County Council purchased the house, and
subsequently built the Hornsey School of Art there. For a few
months the Trust was homeless. The staff found a temporary flat
nearby, and with great difficulty they managed to find places in other
refuges and home for the girls and children in their care.
Then a suitable house was found some distance away
in Fortis Green, Beechwood. Nothing was settled this time until it
was established that there were no longer any restrictions on use.
The owner was keen to sell to the Trust and paid for the necessary
legal work on this, and all went ahead despite a good deal of
opposition from some of the Trusts new neighbours. The next hurdle
was obtaining approval from the Ministry of Health. This was given
on condition that extensive alterations were carried out to make the
Victorian building suitable for mothers and babies.
A chapel was to be built, with a play area on its roof; a
superintendents room, another bathroom and a bottle room were to
be added, and the garage was to become a laundry. In order to pay
for all this, it was decided to sell part of the extensive grounds facing
Western Road. Beacon Lodge could now accommodate up to 16
girls, who could stay long enough to be helped to adjust to their new
lives.

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In June 1930 a view day was held, to allow Beacon
Lodges supporters to see its new home. Some of them considered
that maybe it was too well furnished, and that less money should
have been spent not realising that the furnishings had had to comply
with Ministry of Health standards. The report for that year makes
clear the Trusts attitude: It is not a bare minimum that must be
aimed at, but beauty and refinement. When one considers the long
hard struggle that the future holds for each and all who come to
Beacon Lodge for help, it seems all the more necessary that those few
weeks should be as bright and as happy as possible.
This positive and caring attitude towards Beacon
Lodges residents seems to have been present from the start amongst
the staff and Committee, but was not always shared by the
congregations of the churches, who often preferred to ignore the
work of the Trust. Back in 1912, the annual report commented:
Known only to the few, helped only by the comparatively few the
work is done silently and without much observation. In 1929 the
Bishop of Kensington denounced the hypocrisy of so-called
Christian people who will have nothing to do with Rescue work and
object to the subject being mentioned in public, who yet eagerly turn
to the latest news of the spiciest divorce case in the paper.
But it is also true that Beacon Lodge has always had
devoted and hard-working volunteers from the surrounding churches,
who year after year have raised funds for the work and served on its
committees.
From 1941 committee members have carried out
regular inspections. In 1939 a Case Committee was set up to
consider how the girls contacted by the Outdoor Workers could be
helped. It is not surprising that this was necessary because at that
time the Outdoor Workers covered a huge area in their work the
districts of Finchley, Potters Bar, South Mimms, part of Barnet,
Highgate, Muswell Hill, Hornsey, Crouch End, Harringay, Friern

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Barnet and New Southgate! That same year saw the first of the
Summer Fetes (organised by the volunteers) which were to be
enjoyed in Beacon Lodges lovely grounds for so many years.
One good friend of Beacon Lodge in the pre-war years
deserves a special mention, if only because he was a man! Mr. F.G.
Purkiss was an accountant who audited Beacon Lodges accounts for
many years. But he also served as the White Cross Investigator for
over 20 years, starting in 1921. This obscure title meant that he had
the unenviable task of trying to trace the fathers of the babies cared
for by Beacon Lodge in order to get them to contribute towards the
cost of this care. So successful was he that when he finally retired in
1941 he had raised over 4000.
An important element of Beacon Lodges mother and
baby work was the arrangement of fostering for those girls who
wished to keep their babies and yet had to go to work. Foster
mothers were not supervised by local authorities then, and some were
ill-fitted for the task. It was felt that they needed support, and so in
1941 the Foster Mothers Fellowship was formed, with 30 members,
so they could meet and talk over their problems. The Fellowship
was disbanded later in the war, but re-started in 1945 for another two
years.

(2) 1939 1950 WAR AND POST-WAR

The outbreak of the Second World War brought new
challenges. At first, in 1939, it was considered too dangerous for
babies to be at Beacon Lodge, and all the mothers and children were
evacuated to the country. However, the need for a mother and baby
home in London was seen to be so great that Beacon Lodge was

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almost immediately opened again and quickly filled up with a new
intake.
(In fact as many girls had to be turned away as were
admitted.) The cellars were reinforced and fitted out as air raid
shelters and frequently used, often for weeks at a time. (Some of
the bunks are still in place in the cellars!) The staff reported that
most of the girls faced the situation with calmness and courage, but a
few showed signs of nervous strain and had to leave early. The house
got off comparatively lightly, with some broken windows but no
major damage, however it was a very stressful time, especially for the
staff.
Many of the girls had been serving in the forces, and it
was noted that a good many of the fathers were American. It was
also reported that many of the girls were themselves from broken
homes or institutions. Wartime conditions also meant a big increase
in the Outdoor Workers caseload: in 1940 she dealt with 90 cases, in
1945 she handled 167.
At last the war ended. Many of the girls and staff
were outside Buckingham Palace for the VJ Day celebrations. The
windows had been repaired, but walls and ceilings remained cracked
from bomb damage. Curtains needed replacing, but there were no
coupons available for this. The house was beginning to look its
age.
During the war, the nature of Beacon Lodges work
had changed. So many young unmarried girls needed to come to
have their babies that it was decided that Beacon Lodge should no
longer shelter those girls who needed rescuing from a life of crime
and vice, although these would still be helped by the Outdoor Worker.
Instead, Beacon Lodge was designated a Mother and Baby Home in
1941. The new superintendent, Miss Frank, was a qualified midwife
who was keen that the babies should be born at the Home. Nothing

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could be done about this until after the war, and in 1947 Miss Frank
left to go to a home where the babies were delivered on the premises.
1947 was a difficult year all round, with the severe winter bringing its
own problems: the front gate was snowed up and out of use for six
weeks, while burst pipes turned the laundry room into a skating rink
several times. However, staff and committee pressed on with plans
to turn Beacon Lodge into a maternity home, although this took some
years. After alterations to the building to create a Labour Ward and a
Lying-in Ward (and completing the repairs needed when dry rot was
discovered by the builders), the first babies were delivered in 1950,
under the supervision of Miss Frank, who had returned in 1949,
together with her friend Sister Hale.
New equipment had been bought, and from April Miss
Frank was pleased to list the advantages of having confinements
under Beacon Lodges roof. Her report stated that because the
mother-to-be got to know her midwife before the birth took place, she
developed confidence in her. Thus natural fears could be allayed and
afterwards the new mother would settle down happily to feed and
care for her baby. Miss Frank was happy that In none of the
twenty-five cases had it been necessary to resort to bottle-feeding
before the baby was at least a month old. Communicant mothers
could have their Communion brought to them in the ward during the
lying-in period. The changeover to a maternity home was proving
its worth in every way.

(3) 1950 1970 THE MATERNITY HOME

In the post-war years, it became increasingly difficult
to find foster mothers for those girls wishing to keep their babies, and
the Outdoor Worker noted in 1946 that it is impossible to get

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accommodation for a mother and baby outside her own home, or a
residential domestic post. As a result, more and more of them were
obliged to give up their children for adoption, a situation which
distressed the Beacon Lodge staff very much. The Outdoor Worker
continued, A mother has no alternative, if she cannot return home
with the baby, but to part with her, or him, much against her will, and
I have had many of the girls weep bitterly at having to do so.
(Interestingly, she reported that one of the adoptive mothers that year
had herself had a baby at Beacon Lodge at 15, which she had been
able to keep.)
Of course, sometimes a young mothers family would
be so ashamed of their daughters fall from grace that they would
not countenance her returning home unless her baby was adopted.
When the day came for the baby to be handed over to its new
parents it must have been very harrowing and emotional for all
concerned. To prevent scenes it was customary for the mother to
bathe, feed and dress her baby and hand him or her over to a member
of staff on the staircase landing. There are those today who feel that
an aura of sadness persists in this place on the stairs. Some moving
accounts from previous residents can be read at the end of this
history. A present committee-member remembers her mother (who
was on the committee in 1951) coming home full of sadness after
taking a baby to be adopted. But we can imagine too, the joy of the
adopters eagerly accepting the chance to become parents. Beacon
Lodge has received visits from many people who, in later life,
discovered they were born there.
The traditional fund-raising events continued during
the 1950s, and the Annual Fete in the grounds continued to be
opened by a succession of notable people: television personality
Annette Mills in 1951, Dora Bryan in 1960, Margaret Thatcher in
1963, Sheila Hancock in 1974, and a number of aristocratic ladies in

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other years. The Pound Days continued and donations came in from
local people, charities and businesses.
Some churches in the
Deanery, though not all, continued to give money from their
collections and to supply representatives to sit on the committee.
Local churches and schools would send gifts from their Harvest
Festivals (still carried on today by one or two). In appreciation of
the harvest gifts Miss Frank wrote in her annual report, We have an
excellent recipe for marrow pickle, so do not mind how many
marrows are given to us.(!) Baby clothes, cots and prams were
always gratefully received. A list of other gifts at this time included
cushions, kitchen utensils, fruit and flowers, a settee, a bed, an
armchair, two mangles, a gas boiler, bundles of magazines, a box of
elastic and baby ribbon, a large consignment of new novels from a
subscriber to The Book Club and hand-knitted vests.
The chapel was regularly used for the celebration of
Holy Communion, and staff were often joined by girls for the service,
also one evening service per week was instituted. The importance at
that time of maintaining a visible Christian witness was expressed by
a distinguished visitor who came to open a new building extension.
Her name was Princess Marie Louise, a grand-daughter of Queen
Victoria. Local paper The Hornsey Journal, reporting on her visit
to Beacon Lodge on 3rd December, 1955, described her as being in
her 83rd year, and summed up her speech to guests as follows:
Kindness, sympathy and love were the means by which young,
broken lives could be put together again. The Welfare State did a
great deal of good work but lacked that personal touch which was to
be found in Homes such as Beacon Lodge. It was the spiritual and
personal guidance which ensured a new start in life for these young
mothers. The Princess concluded, I feel it a great privilege to have
been asked to open this extension and I hope that Gods richest
blessing will rest upon the work of this home and upon all those who
do their best to bring these young women back to a new life. The

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Bishop of Willesden replied that, One could be assured that the new
extension was on sure foundations, for it had been built directly
above the Homes chapel.
The building extension, which had taken nearly two
years to complete, included a new dormitory, bathroom and staff
bedroom, plus a fire escape. The total cost was 2,800, of which
1,490 had been raised at the time of opening. An appeal for money
from business houses in the Deanery did not even pay for the cost of
the circular letters sent out. The Treasurer lamented having to sell the
300-worth of Defence Bonds which left the Trust with only one
investment, namely 1,000 of three-and-a-half per cent War Stock, at
that time worth only 858 10s. The sale of a piece of the kitchen
garden raised 750 and a grant from a charity provided another 250.
It has not been possible to find out how long it took to raise the
remaining 1,310. We do know that in 1954 the cost per girl per
week was 4 10s. 3d., and that staff salaries were raised a little, but
far below what would be paid for similar work in a State Controlled
Home. At this time, the Editor of The Hornsey Journal, Mr.
White, was considered a friend to Beacon Lodge, no doubt for his
willingness to give publicity to events when required.
Unfortunately for would-be historians, there is very
little recorded (that has so far been discovered) about the next ten
years. Perhaps we can assume that it was a fairly settled time with
number 35 Eastern Road in the capable hands of Miss Geraldine
Frank and her helper and friend, Sister Hale. We know that Old
Girls parties were held, and letters received show how happy the
young mothers were to return to see them and to express their thanks
for the help they had received. One said, I expect there are just as
many girls at Beacon Lodge. If they are as grateful to you all as I am
and I am sure many others, then they are very grateful. I know we
didnt show it at the time, but it isnt until afterwards that we realise

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Sister Hale with one of the
babies delivered at Beacon
Lodge.

The beautiful garden in the

fifties, a peaceful place for
a nap!

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1957s garden party, which raised 160 for Beacon Lodge.

Fun at the 2006 garden party.

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just what you are doing for us. Another wrote, Thank you and
Sister for making my stay at Beacon Lodge such a happy one. I shall
never forget it and always remember it with happiness. Looking
forward to seeing you all at Easter.
In 1963 Mrs. Margaret Thatcher was the M.P. for
Finchley and Friern Barnet (she became Prime Minister in 1979).
She visited Beacon Lodge to open the Annual Garden Party in May,
an event which raised 325. In her speech she said, It is our job to
help and not sit in judgement. There is never any point in saying, If
only things had been different. We must try to look forward and
give people as much help as possible.
People frequently pass
judgement before the baby is born, but after the birth the family is
often reconciled. It is our job to help those mothers and babies with
kindness and firmness.
Her words were apt and relevant to the practical
approach taken by those connected with Beacon Lodge, not least with
regard to the work of Miss Frank and Sister Hale. Five years later
these ladies retired, and they were thanked by the Trust Chairman,
Revd. Philip Brassel, for their unselfish and devoted work of many
years. During their final year, 1968, 50 babies were born under their
care and the year also marked the 1,000 th delivery at Beacon Lodge.
It is not surprising that the Revd. Brassel was moved to write, The
care, sympathy and guidance, to say nothing of the worries, the crises
and the tensions, with which the lives of these children have been
surrounded, and the prayers and self-sacrifices which have adorned
their coming, make this figure one in which we all feel a justifiable
pride in the work of our home.
Although ostensibly procedures continued in a similar
way at Beacon Lodge for the next couple of years, the departure of
Miss Frank could be described as the end of a chapter with regard to

18
the needs of those who arrived there seeking help. The Hornsey
Deanery Association for Preventive and Rescue Work had become
The Hornsey Deanery Trust for Moral Welfare in 1958. Changes
to the London Boroughs in 1965 resulted in the formation of the
much larger Borough of Haringey.
The Hornsey Deanery was
divided between the Boroughs of Haringey and Barnet, and the name
of the Association became simply The Beacon Lodge Trust. With
this new name Beacon Lodge faced the wind of change that began to
blow over Britain.

(4) 1970 1994 STORMY WEATHER

The social changes during the late 1960s and the
1970s had their effects upon Beacon Lodge. What was called The
Permissive Society embraced increasing use of the contraceptive
pill, legalised abortion and relaxation of censorship. It made some
people question the need for Moral Welfare Work as it had been
called. But in 1970, the Chairman of Beacon Lodge Committee, the
Rev. Philip Brassel, wrote, Clearly the character of the work is
varying and the needs it meets are changing in their demand. Advice,
support, guidance and the ability to care all belong to Welcare work.
The Chaplain, Charles Dunbar, added, With all these changes it
might be thought that the need for Beacon Lodge and the need for a
Chaplain had ceased: yet Beacon Lodge still supplies a real need
and young people still seek spiritual reality.
As time went on, the State and Local Authorities
became more involved in welfare work. Addressing Beacon Lodge
A.G.M. in 1973 the Bishop of Edmonton said, Together Church and
State can achieve much, and by 1979 he was remarking that the aim
of social work in the Church should be sharing and working

19
alongside others rather than patronising.
In 1970 the Local
Authority was contributing to Beacon Lodge funds because it had
become responsible for the care of the unmarried mother. At the
same time Beacon Lodge was affiliated to the London Diocesan
Council for Welfare, The National Council for the Unmarried Mother
and her Child and it was In union with the Church Moral Aid
Association. By 1980 a financial quota was being received from
Haringey Council and Beacon Lodge was represented on the
Diocesan Board for Social Responsibility by the Rev. Alan White.
Thus the co-operation between Church and State developed in
response to significant social change.
This decade, the 1970s, showed remarkable change at
Beacon Lodge in many other ways. In 1971 the Home had a Matron,
Assistant Matron and Sister, all qualified midwives.
Of 88
admissions only 5 were post-natal. There were 44 deliveries of
babies at Beacon Lodge, 27 in hospital and 3 at the Alexandra
Maternity Home.
29 of the babies were adopted, 5 went to
temporary foster mothers, 31 went home with their mothers, 2
accompanied their mothers to residential work placings, 4 to hostel or
flatlet schemes and 1 baby died in hospital. Only 2 years later there
were 18 post-natal cases, only 8 babies delivered at Beacon Lodge
and 49 at the City of London Maternity Hospital. That marked the
end of births and the need to employ midwives at Beacon Lodge, and
in 1977 it was de-registered as a nursing home and became a mother
and baby hostel. That year, momentously, all mothers kept their
babies and none were adopted.
The problems of those admitted to Beacon Lodge were
also different from before. Early in the decade Matron Barbara
Clark reported that The girls of today are not so easy to deal with as
they were a few years ago: their attitudes to life and situations have
completely changed. Later she commented on broken homes and

20
discord. Girls often find their boyfriend is the first person to take
an interest in them It is little wonder that they become pregnant;
they are afraid of losing him, although this often follows when they
become pregnant. Philip Brassel felt that the changing pattern of
society would cause fundamental changes to the way in which
Beacon Lodge worked so many of the personality problems and
special difficulties of the residents being engendered by the
current lack of a stable order in our society.
Beacon Lodge staff at the time responded to the new
challenges in various ways. They ran a shop in 1972 selling things
to the mothers at reduced prices, and were able from the proceeds to
buy things needed for the home. Relaxation classes and teaching on
pregnancy, labour, VD and drugs were started, also crochet and
knitting classes. The latter afforded chances for informal discussion
about choices in life and help with residents individual problems. A
school teacher attended twice weekly. Disturbed girls might be
receiving help from child guidance counsellors or psychiatrists. The
staff were very heartened by the number of girls who wrote in
gratitude for the care and help they received while in Beacon Lodge.
Some examples from 1973 include:
(a) A 15 year old who had been attacked and raped wrote, This
is just a note to thank you for helping me through these weeks. To
be able to share a problem no matter how big or small I hope that
you will all be helping girls in the same situation as me for many
years to come and that they will continue to appreciate your help and
kindness as I have done.
(b) A 20 year old African student: Thank you for taking good
care of me and my baby. God bless you all.
(c) A one-time drop out and drug addict: I really enjoyed my
stay (as far as one can), there was such a feeling of companionship

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amongst the girls and it really helped to have someone to share my
problems with.
Sandra Dowling, who was Matron in 1979, reported
that girls were staying longer, some for nearly a year. She said that,
as many girls came from extremely deprived backgrounds or various
institutions, arriving at Beacon Lodge confused and often very antiauthority, the aim must be to provide a home that gives love and
attention. Often the girls were only too eager to respond when they
realised that someone really did care.
A fund-raising plea in the 1977 Annual Report also
asked readers to pray for often very sad cases at Beacon Lodge, some
of which are described in the yearly summaries which were very
comprehensive at that time. It became customary to print one or two
case-histories each year so that church members who read them had
some idea of problems faced.
These Annual Reports also reveal to the reader some
very interesting facts about the financial changes which took place
during the 1970s. In 1972, Beacon Lodge expenditure was just on
15,000. Each mother cost the home 23 per week. A house in
Park Hall Road, East Finchley, was purchased to be converted to two
flats for residential staff at a cost of 8,500. Beacon Lodge itself
was valued at 15,000, yet only two years later, in 1974, its value
had risen to 30,000! By 1979, expenditure for the Home amounted
to 37,470, while only a year later high inflation caused a jump in
this figure to 50,000. Thus, the decade of the 1980s began with
further worries about finance.
A deficit of 12,000 for the year 1980-81 was in part
due to a decrease in the number of girls admitted to Beacon Lodge.
The Chairman, Father Theo Cunningham-Burleigh, Vicar of All

22
Saints East Finchley, wrote: Whereas in the past we were able to be
selective and admit only those girls we felt ourselves capable of
dealing with, the present financial stringency has meant that councils
are now only offering places for girls with more serious problems,
resulting in a drop in income and a call upon additional help which
has increased our expenditure. Delays in payment of maintenance
grants caused cash-flow problems that year. Yet, by 1983-84 the
Treasurer, Lionel Mayhew, was reporting a surplus of 10,500 due to
(a) economic improvements in running costs made by the
Superintendent Mrs. Reid, (b) fee increases paid promptly by
Haringey Council and (c) increased use of Beacon Lodge made by
the London Boroughs! (Also, in no small measure thanks to the
Treasurer himself.) This financial roller-coaster effect continued into
the 1990s, when Beacon Lodge was almost derailed but there are
other events in the 1980s to consider first.
With the appointment of Mrs. Reid as Superintendent
in 1982, Beacon Lodge entered a 10-year period of stability and
efficiency in its day-to-day running, set alongside the extraordinary
effects of national high inflation. Mrs. Reid originally occupied the
top flat in 61 Park Hall Road, but soon moved elsewhere. The
decision to sell the Park Hall Road house because it had become a
financial burden, meant that the proceeds could fund extensive redecoration, repairs and improvements to the Eastern Road site of
Beacon Lodge in 1986. The garage was re-roofed, there were repairs
to the bungalow in the grounds (previously used by Barnet Welcare
until 1983) and a reserve fund was set up to provide for future
maintenance costs. The house had a New Look. Several garden
areas were cleared of scrub and weeds, vegetable growing
commenced and produce used for meals.
Staff salaries were
increased and Mrs. Reid reported, Beacon Lodge now has a full
complement of full-time care staff who work as a team covering 24
hours a day, seven days a week on a shift rota system. At long last,

23
during my term of office, I feel we give a service that is promised at
the girls initial interview.
During the mid-eighties the Boroughs often asked
Beacon Lodge to assess residents mothering capabilities, which in
turn resulted in more detailed involvement with Social Workers and
medical personnel. (This process has shaped todays function of
Beacon Lodge.)
In 1987 a decision was made of great significance to
Beacon Lodge in the words of the then Secretary, John Muir (whose
service to Beacon Lodge was very great). The Trusteeship of the
Beacon Lodge Trust was widened to include the London Diocesan
Board for Social Responsibility, and from April 1 st all the staff
became employees of the LDBSR.
The composition of the
Management Committee changed to include two representatives from
that body. New duties of the altered committee were to engage staff
and to appoint more committee members (up to 10 in total). This
change had far-reaching effects. The then Chairman Mrs. Betty
Ackroyd held a meeting of parish representatives from the 25
churches in the two Deaneries (West Haringey and Central Barnet)
specifically to explain the new arrangements. She invited them to
become Friends of Beacon Lodge and attend
two meetings a year, but despite this parish links were loosened and
lost. Her hope that people could thus keep their interest in Beacon
Lodge and continue to raise funds for the work disappointingly
resulted in a narrowing of the number of people who were even
aware of Beacon Lodges existence.
The deeds of Beacon Lodge had been withdrawn from
the bank in 1982, and despite intensive searches were never found
new ones had to be drawn up in 1992. With regard to the valuation
of the property, which had been estimated at 30,000 in 1973, in

24
1988 the new figure was 300,000. From this date fees for residents
were raised to 270 per week, in 1990 they were 350 p.w. and by
1991 were 426 p.w. The rapidity of these rises reflected the rate of
inflation nationally. Because boroughs were slow to pay and were
using B and Bs for economy instead of properly equipped Beacon
Lodge, an Emergency Rescue Package was proposed: a reduction in
salaries and non-recruitment of new staff. This did happen and it
was reported that staff gave their all. However, naturally people
became tired and stressed. Mrs. Reid was working three out of four
week-ends in spite of the fact that a Deputy Superintendent had been
appointed in 1990 because of increasing and non-avoidable
paperwork. Pressures on every front had made Mrs. Reid ask that
her staff should be called Project Workers not Care Assistants
because they were called upon to be mothers, counsellors, advisers,
problem solvers and many other things too numerous to mention, as
well as giving support and practical help with the babies. Residents
were accepted from a wider area than the London Boroughs, but extra
workers could not be employed because the LDBSR was itself
experiencing financial difficulties. Praise for her hard-working and
loyal staff was often expressed in reports to the Committee by Mrs.
Reid. When she herself retired in September 1993 gratitude for her
excellent work and the presentation to her of a cheque and card was
recorded in the Minutes.
The news that Mrs. Reids successor was to be a man,
Mr. John Farrow, caused consternation and controversy. He was
appreciative of the fact that his appointment to Beacon Lodge
showed evidence of equal opportunities, but his service in the post
only lasted six months and he was not replaced. The Home was then
run by his Deputy with support from a Residential Projects Manager
from CARIS. (CARIS was the new name for the LDBSR.) At this
time a grant of 41,000 from the BBC Children in Need to pay for
extra staffing was gratefully received, and a Home Tutor for girls of

25
school age was paid for by Haringey Council. Committee members
were asked to describe What Beacon Lodge is here for and the
following description resulted:
Beacon Lodge is motivated by Christian principles to
provide a warm caring home environment, which will give support to
women at a vulnerable time of pregnancy and early motherhood, to
enable them to nurture their children with knowledge and confidence,
with the support of trained and understanding members of staff.
A BBC Television series about people coping with
difficulties in their lives resulted in a film about a young man who
discovered that he had been born at Beacon Lodge. Filming took
place at the house in November 1993, and perhaps this was a
welcome counterbalance to the disagreeable news that financial
difficulties appeared to be making Beacon Lodge a non-viable place
to run. A working group was set up, with Mr. Brian McCarthy as
Beacon Lodges representative, to report back to CARIS about
workable options for the future.
A professional person, Janet
Lindsay German, was recruited to assess the situation.
Her
conclusions were discussed at the 1994 January meeting of Beacon
Lodge Committee, and it was made clear that CARIS was
considering the future of all five of its hostels. Consequently, after
much discussion, it was reluctantly agreed that Beacon Lodge should
close temporarily from 31st March 1994.
However, at this sad prospect for Beacon Lodge, a
dramatic event occurred.
A possible new and exciting future was outlined at the
next meeting convened in All Saints Vicarage and hosted by Father
Paul, the Beacon Lodge Chaplain. Mrs. Ackroyd was in the chair
but handed over the conduct of the meeting to Mr. McCarthy. He

26
revealed that a professional group, Integrated Care, had wished to
place a young woman in Beacon Lodge, and through this, their
Manager Chris Faithfull had discovered the impending closure. Mr.
Faithfull contacted Mr. McCarthy within five days and he and Mr.
Ken Hamilton of Integrated Care attended the meeting with an offer
to take over the running of Beacon Lodge! They both described
their background of providing services which included the running of
two other mother and baby homes. They described their commitment
to provide continuity of care and their hopes to bring Beacon Lodge
towards Registration if they were accepted as managers.
The
Committee asked both CARIS and Integrated Care to send in writing
their proposed scenario for the future of Beacon Lodge. These
would be scrutinised at the meeting three weeks later in March. At
this meeting, the Committee made a unanimous decision to transfer
management of Beacon Lodge to Integrated Care, and after CARIS
had relinquished their responsibilities, this was realised on 1 st April,
1994.

(5) 1994 2007 PARTNERSHIP

Integrated Care took over a demoralised workforce, a
building in need of repair and an organisation that had been teetering
on the brink of closure. The ever-loyal staff had been under notice
of redundancy for some months, while the financial reserves had
almost run down to nothing. Within a very short space of time
everything had been transformed. New clients were miraculously
found, new staff taken on, a new manager was appointed and Beacon
Lodge began to regain its old reputation.
After the momentous but unanimous decision of the
Management Committee of the Beacon Lodge Trust to go into

27
partnership with a Company a wholly new situation it was
rewarding for the members to see the improvements taking place in
every field. Brian McCarthy, who had replaced Mrs. Betty Ackroyd
as Chairman, reported to the 88th Annual General Meeting that
Integrated Care had ensured that old and new staff of Beacon Lodge
had welded into a very successful team. Management, led by Ms.
Kea Byer, was strong and effective, reserves had been rebuilt and
refurbishment to the highest possible standards was in train. He
thanked Ken Hamilton and his colleagues at Integrated Care, and
optimistically predicted the future to be the restoration of Beacon
Lodge to leadership in the field of mother and baby care.
This optimism was not misplaced.
However, the
plans to completely refurbish the building in 1995 were hampered by
difficulties over the first targets for improvement, the bedrooms.
Work could only be carried out when the rooms were unoccupied, so
it was necessary to restrict intake. This, combined with a downturn
of interest by local authorities in using Beacon Lodge, meant that
numbers fell dangerously and building work had to wait. Yet, after
Christmas the trends reversed, Beacon Lodge was fully occupied and
financially secure again, so work recommenced, albeit more slowly.
At the annual Fete in July, a barbecue lunch was an innovation which
resulted in a profit of over 1,000, earmarked for a holiday trip to
Butlins for mothers and babies. It would have been a welcome relief
from the ongoing building work!
Since the leaders of Integrated Care had previously
worked for local authorities themselves, they were fully aware of the
services which Beacon Lodge needed to provide in order to keep the
number of referrals high from those same authorities. It was a new
concept however for the Management Committee to regard local
authorities as customers. In a competitive world the need for
marketing the strengths of Beacon Lodge as a place of excellence

28
became apparent. Another difference in outlook was required, to
understand that the clientele (the women requiring refuge) had
many more problems than previously, which could affect their ability
to function as good mothers.
Therefore assessment of their
capabilities had to be included while they were residents of the
Home. Much more paperwork was required from the staff and
appearances at Court were often necessary. The level and variety of
skills needed to cope with the more difficult cases coming to Beacon
Lodge meant that fees had to rise accordingly. It became obvious
too that the financial situation could go from healthy to unhealthy
or vice versa very quickly, in direct proportion to the number of
placements by the authorities choosing to use Beacon Lodge.
During 1997 the Home was virtually full, levels of
care were again enhanced and more staff appointed. Half the rooms
had been improved and work began on a new laundry. By 1999
work had been completed on the kitchen and dining room, and these
were much admired by visitors as well as the residents. Again, a
downturn in the number of placements brought financial worries
because the average number of occupants had fallen to only six
mothers and their babies. But the level of service provided was
never allowed to fall despite the lower income. Sadly, a few children
had to be taken into care during 1999, not the happy ending which
is always striven for at Beacon Lodge.
During the latter part of the year strong marketing and
a sound reputation raised the number of placements again to full
capacity, enabling reserves to be rebuilt and further refurbishment to
take place. Naturally, warm thanks were expressed at the A.G.M. in
the year 2000 for the six years of incredibly hard work by Manager
Kea Byer, who was moving from Beacon Lodge to another position
with Integrated Care. Her place was taken by her deputy, Mairead
OSullivan. In his report, the Chairman mentioned the death of Miss

29
Daphne Jenkins, who had retired the previous year after 20 years
service as Minutes Secretary. Many members attended her funeral
knowing they would miss her down-to-earth practicality and faith
and described her as a lovely lady. Next, Mr. McCarthy described
the dedicated voluntary work done by the Trustees (Committee
Members), and he went on to emphasise how the relationship
between the Committee and Integrated Care had prospered as cooperation was cemented.
So, at the turn of the century, Beacon Lodge was
looking to the future, and to its Centenary in 2007, with confidence.
As mentioned before, the number of placements at
Beacon Lodge, i.e. the level of occupancy, is vital to the financial
well-being of the Trust. Keeping a high level of occupancy means
ensuring the good reputation of the Home and maintaining a high
profile to those who are likely to use its services and expertise. In
May 2000, a malicious anonymous complaint was made to Haringey
Council about Beacon Lodge. An inspection and enquiry, with the
full co-operation of the staff, found the allegation to be without
foundation.
However, the inspection did identify some
improvements to the accommodation which were needed. These had
already been earmarked, but work was accelerated and a complete
new roof also put in place. It was not so easy to restore confidence in
Beacon Lodge as a place of excellence. During 2001, hard work was
required from staff at Integrated Care, while those at the Home were
once again coping during ongoing building work and trying to
rebuild their own morale.
After the promotion of Graham Dow, Bishop of
Willesden, to Durham, the Committee decided to ask the Right Revd.
Peter Wheatley to be their Honorary President. (As Bishop of
Edmonton he is head of the area in which Beacon Lodge lies.) He

30
visited Beacon Lodge in 2001, has continued to do so with support
and concern, and will take part in the Centenary celebrations in 2007.
In 2002, Brian McCarthy reported a relatively quiet
year. He commented that the major work assessing the capabilities
of mothers had continued steadily. The significant trend that
emerged was that of the growing complexity of problems which the
new mothers brought with them. Staff had to deal with drug, alcohol
and mental health cases, all of which were time-consuming, difficult
to handle and required special skills. Due to publicity about child
abuse cases nationally, there was a dearth of Social Workers in the
field of child protection. Staff recruitment became very difficult,
especially in London. Beacon Lodge was affected by these outside
influences, but Mairead OSullivan and her staff coped, with
customary dedication, despite the burden of increasingly complex
caseloads.
It was of concern to the Committee that there seemed
to be little time to help some young mothers acquire sorely-needed
life skills. One member, Mrs. Judith Filkin, gave valuable voluntary
teaching help for some time. No-one wanted Beacon Lodge to be
just a place where women and girls resided until their maternal
abilities could be assessed. Could Beacon Lodge give more support
to those who through immaturity or adverse circumstances were illfitted to manage their lives after they left?
When Jan Christie was appointed Manager in August
2002 her wealth of experience was immediately drawn upon to build
teamwork and to get Beacon Lodge registered by the National Care
Standards Commission (now called the Commission for Social Care
Inspection). This involved an enormous amount of paperwork and
planning, followed by a Pre-Registration inspection which was very
stringent and lasted three days. When the report was received,

31
Beacon Lodge was shown to be exemplary. The Registration
Certificate was issued in July 2004. The wait for this caused
placement difficulties yet again low occupancy, financial loss.
Despite this, many of the building projects which had been planned
from the beginning of the new century, were now completed. These
included refurbishment of offices, meeting room and entrance hall,
new windows and frames throughout the building, a buggy store at
the back of the house, a proper car park, the re-decoration of the
bungalow and measures to increase security. It is hoped the
bungalow will become a Supervised Access Centre.
The Charity Commission, which inspected Beacon
Lodge in 2003, commended it for operating properly within the Law
and using good practice. A further feather in the cap for Jan
Christie and her staff is the designation of Beacon Lodge as an
approved educational centre for NVQs. Best of all is a system now in
place which addresses the question of life skills. Although Local
Authorities do not pay specifically for this education, those who are
sent to Beacon Lodge are assessed, and accorded levels which
match their capabilities. Thus, Level I is basic, a resident needs total
help and supervision, while Level IV represents a residents ability to
be independent; to prepare ones own food when desired and to
travel by oneself (four hours are allowed for this at the weekend).
Girls like to see themselves progressing through these levels and will
help each other in many ways; for example, one girl might take
another out to show them around.
To meet modern requirements for a Mother and Baby
Home, there is an enormous amount of paperwork involved, daily
records to maintain and constantly changing regulations and
standards to be addressed. Visitors to Beacon Lodge can be sure of
one thing. They will see bonny babies, beautifully cared for! There
is no doubt that the lovely old house with its modern amenities,

32
beautiful garden and a peaceful, rural outlook, is an ideal place for
the work that takes place there. Its social value is reflected in the two
traditional yearly gatherings, namely the Christmas Party and the
Garden Party. These are occasions when staff, management,
residents and friends meet and mingle. In 2007, when these and the
Centenary Service in April take place, people will be celebrating a
unique institution which has striven to live up to the ideals of those
who founded it in 1907.
Sadly, one person who dedicated over fifty years of
service to Beacon Lodge did not live to see the celebrations. Betty
Ackroyd died at the beginning of 2004, having served continuously
on the Committee, as well as becoming Secretary, Chairman and
latterly Vice-Chairman. Many attended her funeral at All Saints
Church, Whetstone, including members of the Committee, and staff
from Beacon Lodge and Integrated Care. A tree, Liquidamber, has
been planted in the garden in her memory.
(6) CONCLUSION
Anyone researching the history of Beacon Lodge will
become aware of four common themes throughout. First, the
constant struggle with finance. Factors affecting this were, and are,
current attitudes to the work of the Home, i.e. approval or
disapproval, the acceptance or not of charity in the form of secondhand gifts, Government legislation and the ever-rising expectations
regarding what is needed or supplied. Today the exacting demands of
laws about charitable institutions and stringent requirements for the
provision of care have to be complied with and it costs money!
Inflationary changes could be very sudden (as in the 1970s) and the
fluctuations of income from admissions due to shifting priorities in
Local Authority budgets is particularly uncertain today.

33

The Vera Hammond

Nursery as it is today

Wishing mother
and baby well as
they leave for their
new lives.

34
The second theme is the quality of staff employed at
Beacon Lodge. From the early rescuers of those in moral danger
which initially included males as well as females through the long
hours trudging the streets by the Outdoor Workers, to the caring skills
of superintendents, midwives, nurses, care workers and managers, the
same descriptions crop up through the years: dedication, excellent
work, adaptability, and personal commitment. Two names
stand out: Mrs. Peggy Bloome and Mrs. Rose Hunt, who between
them have given Beacon Lodge 60 years of dedicated service. Let us
not forget either the housekeepers, gardeners, cooks, office staff and
visiting professionals who have all done their best for the Home in
diverse ways.
Thirdly, a researcher finds common responses by
many of the residents to their stay in a Home where their carers have
striven to help them come to terms with their often traumatic
circumstances. Some hated going to an institution, but became
grateful for the support they found there. Some regarded it as their
first real home. Some wrote, or write, letters of thanks. Many old
residents continue to ask for help with problems or come back to
visit. They are never turned away.
The fourth common theme over the years has been
how to interest enough people to participate in the work of the Trust.
Pleas for gifts, practical help, support for fund-raising events and for
prayers for staff and mothers appear regularly in past accounts of
yearly progress. Much is owed to the clergy who became Chairmen
of the Committee, to hard-working Treasurers and Secretaries, and to
Representatives from the parishes within the Haringey and Barnet
Deaneries who were, and are, Committee Members and Trustees.
Attempts to find enough people to be on the Committee are ongoing.
Beacon Lodge has been very fortunate in the quality and dedication

35
of those who have voluntarily given of their time to its well-being.
Concern and love and appreciation of the work done shine through
the documents we have researched. There are names which will
stand out in these pages, but also countless people whose kind acts,
gifts of their time and talents, sympathy for the vulnerable or
disadvantaged, and love for babies and children, will go unrecorded.
This History is dedicated to everyone who, over one hundred years,
has cared about and assisted in any way the work for mothers and
babies which takes place at Beacon Lodge.

This window remains in the Conference Room and

reminds users that it was formerly the chapel..

36
IMPORTANT DATES FOR BEACON LODGE
1907

Deanery Committee set up and named The Hornsey

Association for Rescue and Preventive Work

1908

First employee: Miss Kubler (later called Miss Ridley)

1909

109 Tollington Park rented and named Beacon Lodge

1912

Second worker appointed to do outdoor work

1919

Miss Ridley resigned, replaced by Miss Tyner

1920

109 Tollington Park purchased with loan from the Bradleys

1921

Deanery Working Party surpassed themselves by producing

309 garments

1925

Electric light installed in the house. Fund started to buy a

hostel as Beacon Lodge proving too small

1928

109 Tollington Park sold and larger premises bought at 79

Crouch End Hill - Newbeacon - which had to be sold again.

1929

Beechwood in Eastern Road purchased with additional loan

from the Bradleys, renamed Beacon Lodge and enlarged to
accommodate 16 girls

1930

First public view day of Beacon Lodge with its new chapel

1933

Retirement of James Bradley as Treasurer after 14 years.

1939

First Summer Fete held for supporters. Outbreak of War

37
1941

Miss Tyner retired, Miss Frank appointed as Superintendent

1945

Miss Hale appointed as Sister

1950

Beacon Lodge became a Maternity Home

1955

Princess Marie Louise opened new extension

1958

Name of the Association changed to The Hornsey Deanery

Trust for Moral Welfare

1963

Mrs. Thatcher opened garden fete

1967

The London Diocesan Welcare Council took over outside

work

1968

Thousandth baby born at Beacon Lodge

Miss Frank and Sister Hale retired

1972

House in Park Hall Road purchased to be two flats for staff

1982

Mrs. Reid became Superintendent

1985

Leasehold of Park Hall Road sold

1987

Trusteeship widened to include the London Diocesan Board

of Social Responsibility

1991

Beacon Lodge Trust became The Beacon Lodge Charitable

Trust

1993

Mrs. Reid retired

38
1994

Proposed temporary closure of Beacon Lodge by CARIS

The Trustees appointed Integrated Care to manage Beacon
Lodge
Kea Byer became manager

2002

Jan Christie employed as Manager

2004

Registration as a Residential Family Centre by CSCI

2007

Celebrations to mark the centenary of Beacon Lodge

39
GIRLS WHO STAYED AT BEACON LODGE:
SOME PERSONAL STORIES
1939: The Secretary reported that a girl who had been sheltered for
one night at Beacon Lodge when in great need 15 years previously,
had recently died. It was found that out of her savings she had left
the Association 3 3s. in gratitude for the kindness she had received.
1944: Mary, aged 26, was a Civil Servant, from a very respectable
home. Her parents wanted her away and the baby adopted when it
came, so that none should know what had occurred. Mary herself
wanted the adopting before he came, but afterwards it was a different
story.
She made up her mind to keep him in spite of the
unpleasantness it caused with her family A lucky vacancy was
procured for the baby at a waifs and strays nursery, and Mary
returned to her home and job. Her parents have promised, when the
little chap is older, that they will move away to another district, so
that Mary can have him at home with her.
1946: Veronica had been a resident at Beacon Lodge at 15, and had
been able to keep her baby boy. She had later married, and her
husband had adopted him. However, they now realised that she was
unable to have more children, so Veronica approached Beacon Lodge
to see if she could adopt a child. The outdoor worker reported, I
was able to place a baby boy of nearly a year old with them.
Veronica was very happy indeed, and Im sure the wee mite will be,
for he was one of two illegitimate children born to a married woman,
and rather neglected. Veronica felt she would love to take him, and
care for him.
1947: Elizabeth, a Scot, rather delicate, was living in one room.
Her parents were dead, and she had two brothers living abroad. She
had no friends except a boy friend whom she was hoping to marry.

40
Elizabeth found she was expecting a baby. The putative father was
taken ill and died of pneumonia, and Elizabeth was left alone to face
the future. She is heartbroken but gets in touch with us. A vacancy
is given her at Beacon Lodge and her baby is born, a little boy. She
loves her baby dearly, and sheds many tears at the thought of having
to part with him. She feels she can never maintain her little boy, so
the only thing to do is to have him adopted. Adopters are found and
arrange to take him. At the last minute she is given a vacancy at a
residential nursery, and Elizabeth is able to keep him and go back to
her old place of employment in the City. The would-be adopters stay
in touch and contact Beacon Lodge to say that Elizabeth is to marry
an old friend of theirs, who has agreed to adopt the baby. So what at
the beginning was a very sad story ends very happily.
1949: Betty was referred by a Moral Welfare Worker to the outdoor
worker, who wrote, She was only 16, so I got her to Beacon Lodge.
Bettys parents refused to have her home with baby, so the only
alternative was to have the baby adopted. After much discussion,
baby went to suitable adopters. When the three months was nearly
up, and the time was drawing near for Betty to sign her baby away,
she realised that she would never be able to do so and that she wanted
her baby home. Again after much discussion and the shedding of
many tears, the parents relented and the little five months old Pamela
went home. Some months later Betty came to see me with her
fianc. They brought Pamela along with them and they appeared to
be a happy trio. Betty is now married and tells me that her
husband wishes to adopt Pamela.
1950: Penelope was 17, an only child and spoilt. She was sent far
away from her home when her people discovered what was wrong, so
that no-one at home should know. The baby was to be adopted, but
Penelope changed her mind and refused to part with her little
daughter. At the last minute her parents gave way and pocketing

41
their pride agreed to have her home with the baby. Said her mother,
If we had only done this in the first place, you could have had your
baby at home and never have left us. Penelope replied, You dont
think Id want to have my baby anywhere else but at Beacon Lodge,
do you? In fact, when I marry and have my next, I shall wait until the
last minute and then turn up on the doorstep and then they will just
have to take me in.
1952: P wrote, I am sure I would not be able to face the future
with such confidence if I had not been to Beacon Lodge and realised
I was still a human being. Perhaps that may sound rather stupid, but
until I went there I felt alone, even though I had good friends. I cant
find words good enough to thank you for what you did for me. Not
only for bringing my body back to normal, but my mind as well.
1970: F was a student of twenty-one, who following a party to
celebrate the passing of examinations discovered that she was
pregnant. The father of the baby was already married and does not
know of the pregnancy. F is a cheerful and sensible girl, well liked
by everyone. Her parents died when she was small and she had
always lived with relatives or in lodgings. Her baby was adopted and
she was able to make a new start in life.
1974: Jenny wrote, After being in Beacon Lodge a few days I
realised that my worries and fears about coming into the Home were
unfounded there was help with problems, the girls were friendly
and staff always available to give advice. To me having the chapel at
hand was a great comfort as I found something which seemed
(previously) very distant. Jenny has settled into a Council flat. She
does not deny that life has its problems but she is doing her best to
give her daughter a stable background.

42
1977: Jean is a pretty, intelligent girl, devoted to her boy friend who
is a shady character who takes his responsibilities as a father very
lightly. After a telephone conversation with him, Jean took an
overdose of phenobarbitone tablets. She was discovered semiconscious and rushed to hospital, from where she was transferred to a
maternity hospital and delivered of a healthy baby boy. Jean was
emotionally very disturbed and took time to accept her baby.
However, with care and guidance she made an excellent adjustment,
and since her discharge she has visited us with her baby. They are
getting along nicely.
1979: M.B. was taken into care at the age of fourteen, after
appearing in court for various offences. One of six children, her
father was a drinker who had made sexual advances to her, and her
mother had abandoned the family to live with another man. Both
parents had been in psychiatric hospitals. At sixteen she became
pregnant, but did not see the father any more. At Beacon Lodge she
was looking forward to the birth of her baby and appeared willing to
learn, but it was felt that the first step was to win her confidence and
give her some of the care and attention she had lacked throughout her
young life, so that in turn her baby could have a better start in life.
1980: Mary was fifteen years old when she came to Beacon Lodge.
Born in Jamaica, she came to England with her mother and siblings.
Her mother was very strict and uncompromising, and Mary received
many beatings. When she was thirteen she started to rebel and began
a life of petty crime. She went to live in a squat where she met her
boyfriend and became pregnant. The couple applied for a council
flat, but when her age was discovered a care order was placed on her
and she came to live at Beacon Lodge. Mary had a baby boy and
proved an excellent mother although little more than a child herself.
Unfortunately the relationship with her boy friend was very unsettled:
he had a violent temper and often hit her. However, she was

43
maturing fast, and it was hoped that one day she would be able to
make a home for her child, probably without the father.
1981: Jean was a 20-year old girl who had had a very disturbed
childhood, going into care three times. At 15 she had a pregnancy
terminated and began a life of petty crime. In 1978 she had a little
boy, but was evicted from their flat when the childs father went to
prison. Two months later she found she was pregnant again, her little
boy was taken into temporary care and Jean came to Beacon Lodge.
She had a little girl, and stayed for several months, showing herself to
be a good mother. She was then re-housed with her children and it
was hoped that she would prove capable, with help, of building a
caring family unit and giving her son and daughter a happier
childhood than she herself experienced.
1982:
Gemma came as a very quiet, introverted 16-year old.
However, gradually her confidence grew with the staff and finally she
confided that she had been raped and had an alcoholic and depressed
mother. The birth of Gemmas child was very difficult, but initially
she seemed to cope well until her mother appeared on the scene
creating more problems. Finally Gemma turned her back on her child
and life itself and behaved as before. With tremendous patience and
time spent with Gemma, just by listening and talking to her, matters
gradually improved. She became a very confident little mother who,
by herself, arranged medical and psychiatric help for her mother, and
began planning a future for them all.
1983: Paula, aged 19, spent six months at Beacon Lodge, having
previously lived in a squat for two years in Brixton. On her arrival
she was very truculent, untrusting and suspicious of all help offered.
Shortly before the birth of her baby, the father completely deserted
her for another woman and left the country. The birth was very
difficult, but she recovered well. About this time her Social Worker

44
was taken ill and was not replaced immediately. With the limited
help Beacon Lodge was able to offer, Paula managed almost singlehandedly to obtain a flat, and also arranged the christening of her
baby at Beacon Lodge. She settled well into her new flat, and after
many years made contact with one of her sisters.
1999: Evelyn wrote, Beacon Lodge is not just a building or a
name. Within it I found a network of people who genuinely cared
for me, that was a surprise. When I first went there I was sure these
people would deliberately take my child from me. No matter what!
There was no trust and I couldnt understand why I was sent there.
To begin with, I was observed but not in the way I expected. I was
restricted and in a way I felt I had been given a prison sentence. I
figured that all I had to do was tend to my baby and serve my time, so
I could leave with him. I spent nine months there and learnt that I
was supported in every way possible. The staff tried their best to
understand me. The trust that I had lost for professional people
slowly came back. There is a definite safeness about the place and its
staffs input makes it so. I learnt to let them help me make the right
choices for me and my son, and although at times I messed up, they
never judged me.
2006: K.R. revisited Beacon Lodge with her twin boys aged
eight. She had been a nanny at 17, so when she was a resident she
was able to help the other girls. Having come from a big family she
thought Beacon Lodge was a prison, but then she realised what the
Home had done for her sorted out her money, helped her find a flat
and turned her life around. She is now married and has a little boy.

45
WHO RAN BEACON LODGE?
1907 - 1919
1920 - 1924
1924 - 1940
1940 - 1947
1947 - 1948
1948 - 1968
1968 - 1973
1973 - 1975
1975 - 1978
1978 - 1981
1981 - 1992
1992
1994 - 2000
2000 - 2002
2002

Miss A.E. Kubler (later known as Miss Ridley)

Miss Smith-Shand
Miss Tyner
Miss G. Frank
Miss McFarlane
Miss G. Frank
Miss Barbara Gill (later Mrs. Clark)
Miss Galgey
Mrs. E. Willoughby
Miss Sandra Dowling
Mrs. Jeanne Reid
Mr. John Farrow (followed by an interregnum)
Ms Kea Byer
Ms Mairead OSullivan
Mrs. Jan Christie

46
CHAIRMEN OF THE BEACON LODGE COMMITTEE
1907 - 1910
1911 - 1912
1913
1914 - 1916
1917 - 1928
1929 - 1932
1933 - 1942
1943 - 1946
1946 - 1950
1951 - 1967
1967 - 1972
1972 - 1976
1976 - 1981
1981 - 1984
1985 - 1994
1994

Rev. F.N. Thicknesse (St. Marys Hornsey)

Rev. J.H. Greaves (St. Pauls Harringay)
Rev. B. Spink (St. Marys Hornsey)
Rev. W.R. Ogle (St. Michaels Highgate)
Rev. F.H.A. Hawkins (All Saints Highgate)
Rev. H.C. Montgomery Campbell (St. Marys
Hornsey)
Rev. Preb. E.A. Dunn (St. James Muswell Hill)
Rev. W.F.P. Chadwick (Christ Church Crouch
End)
Rev. Michael Ridley (St. Marys Finchley)
Rev. S.H. Jarrett (Holy Trinity Stroud Green)
Rev. Philip Brassel (St. Marys Hornsey)
Rev. Ralph Baldry (St. Albans Golders Green)
Rev. Charles Dunbar (St. Johns Whetstone)
Rev. Theo Cunningham-Burley (All Saints
East Finchley)
Mrs. Betty Ackroyd (All Saints Friern Barnet)
Mr. Brian McCarthy (St. Marys Finchley)

47
CHURCHES INVOLVED IN THE SETTING UP
OF BEACON LODGE
St. Marys Finchley
All Saints East Finchley
St. Johns Whetstone
Christ Church Barnet
St. Peters Muswell Hill
St. Pauls New Southgate
All Saints Highgate
St. Marys Hornsey
Christ Church Crouch End
St. Lukes Hornsey
St. Jamess Muswell Hill
St. Pauls Harringay

St. Lukes Finchley

Christ Church North Finchley
St. James & St. Johns Friern
Barnet
All Saints Whetstone
St. Michaels Highgate
St. Augustines Archway Road
St. Andrews Muswell Hill
Holy Innocents Hornsey
Holy Trinity Stroud Green
Holy Trinity East Finchley
St. Peters Hornsey

Published by Beacon Lodge Charitable Trust

35 Eastern Road
London, N2 9LB