The Orphan Working School

A carte-de-visite showing a large group assembled in front of the Orphan Working School on Haverstock Hill in Hampstead.

In 1758 a group of nonconformists established the Orphan Working School in a small house in Hoxton Street, initially taking in twenty boys, but later admitting twenty girls, with the objective of apprenticing the boys and training the girls to be domestic servants. They would appear to have taken over a complete house but the age of the Hoxton property led to the school moving to new premises on the south side of City Road in 1775. It remained there until 1847, when the end of the lease enabled the governors to move their 240 charges to Haverstock Hill.

Photographed by George Hooper of Canonbury Park, London.