OAKLANDS CHILDREN'S HOME - LOWTON - AUGUST 2021

[TheBackpackExplorer]

The History
Oaklands was built between 1882-1883, The house was designed by Bolton based architectural firm of Bradshaw & Gass. The house is built of pressed red brick, it is a convolution of architectural styles; Gothic & Queen Anne revival. The house has an octagonal turret & terracotta details around the exterior - On the façade of the house is a plaque which bears the carving ‘EQUAM SERVARE MENTEM’ (to preserve an equal mind). Oaklands was originally built for the Green family - the head of the family being John Green who was a glue & soup manufacturer.

In December 1945, the Primary Education Committee of Lancashire decided to purchase the house to use it as a remand home to accommodate 26 girls. Oakland’s Children’s Home eventually became a boys home & it could accommodate around 29 boys.

A Dark Past…
Oakland’s was run by notorious ex army man Mr Mackey - the Poet & Author, Lemn Sissay revealed the abuse he suffered & witnessed during his time here.

“After arriving - I got my first kicking 3 hours later, Nose broken, 3 ribs & wrist. They didn’t bother with a doctor - Just banged me up for three weeks, I was 12 years old”

Boys were also rumoured to be forced to strip naked & fight while being watched. As early as 1951, potential cases of abuse were highlighted at Oakland’s, In that year a superintendent faced trial for ‘improperly assaulting boys under 16’ . The Children’s Home closed in the early 1990s & in 1992 the building was converted into offices for the use of Wigan Council. Oakland’s was used for this purpose until 2016, In 2020 plans were approved to demolish Oakland’s & build 19 houses & an apartment block containing 6 flats.


The Explore
Sadly this beautiful building is in the middle of demolition - having scouted the property only 1 week earlier there was significant change so I don’t believe this will see the end of the month. Access can be less than ideal depending if you want all the surrounding houses & main roads watching you tackle the double fences & the site is also occupied by building crew.

At the risk of being laughed out the community here - I have to say having solo explored some very creepy places & not being one to be too spooked out generally… the ground floor in this place left me feeling very unnerved. This was not something I experienced exploring any of the other floors in this building but each time I came back to the main floor I was left feeling very uncomfortable - I also had not read the history before hand as I always like to enter with an open mind…


The Photography...

Thankyou for reading & enjoy the Decay!
​

 

[SPEXTC]

The History
Oaklands was built between 1882-1883, The house was designed by Bolton based architectural firm of Bradshaw & Gass. The house is built of pressed red brick, it is a convolution of architectural styles; Gothic & Queen Anne revival. The house has an octagonal turret & terracotta details around the exterior - On the façade of the house is a plaque which bears the carving ‘EQUAM SERVARE MENTEM’ (to preserve an equal mind). Oaklands was originally built for the Green family - the head of the family being John Green who was a glue & soup manufacturer.

In December 1945, the Primary Education Committee of Lancashire decided to purchase the house to use it as a remand home to accommodate 26 girls. Oakland’s Children’s Home eventually became a boys home & it could accommodate around 29 boys.

A Dark Past…
Oakland’s was run by notorious ex army man Mr Mackey - the Poet & Author, Lemn Sissay revealed the abuse he suffered & witnessed during his time here.

“After arriving - I got my first kicking 3 hours later, Nose broken, 3 ribs & wrist. They didn’t bother with a doctor - Just banged me up for three weeks, I was 12 years old”

Boys were also rumoured to be forced to strip naked & fight while being watched. As early as 1951, potential cases of abuse were highlighted at Oakland’s, In that year a superintendent faced trial for ‘improperly assaulting boys under 16’ . The Children’s Home closed in the early 1990s & in 1992 the building was converted into offices for the use of Wigan Council. Oakland’s was used for this purpose until 2016, In 2020 plans were approved to demolish Oakland’s & build 19 houses & an apartment block containing 6 flats.


The Explore
Sadly this beautiful building is in the middle of demolition - having scouted the property only 1 week earlier there was significant change so I don’t believe this will see the end of the month. Access can be less than ideal depending if you want all the surrounding houses & main roads watching you tackle the double fences & the site is also occupied by building crew.

At the risk of being laughed out the community here - I have to say having solo explored some very creepy places & not being one to be too spooked out generally… the ground floor in this place left me feeling very unnerved. This was not something I experienced exploring any of the other floors in this building but each time I came back to the main floor I was left feeling very uncomfortable - I also had not read the history before hand as I always like to enter with an open mind…


The Photography...

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Thankyou for reading & enjoy the Decay!
​

Thanks for sharing love this

 

[rvf400]

The History
Oaklands was built between 1882-1883, The house was designed by Bolton based architectural firm of Bradshaw & Gass. The house is built of pressed red brick, it is a convolution of architectural styles; Gothic & Queen Anne revival. The house has an octagonal turret & terracotta details around the exterior - On the façade of the house is a plaque which bears the carving ‘EQUAM SERVARE MENTEM’ (to preserve an equal mind). Oaklands was originally built for the Green family - the head of the family being John Green who was a glue & soup manufacturer.

In December 1945, the Primary Education Committee of Lancashire decided to purchase the house to use it as a remand home to accommodate 26 girls. Oakland’s Children’s Home eventually became a boys home & it could accommodate around 29 boys.

A Dark Past…
Oakland’s was run by notorious ex army man Mr Mackey - the Poet & Author, Lemn Sissay revealed the abuse he suffered & witnessed during his time here.

“After arriving - I got my first kicking 3 hours later, Nose broken, 3 ribs & wrist. They didn’t bother with a doctor - Just banged me up for three weeks, I was 12 years old”

Boys were also rumoured to be forced to strip naked & fight while being watched. As early as 1951, potential cases of abuse were highlighted at Oakland’s, In that year a superintendent faced trial for ‘improperly assaulting boys under 16’ . The Children’s Home closed in the early 1990s & in 1992 the building was converted into offices for the use of Wigan Council. Oakland’s was used for this purpose until 2016, In 2020 plans were approved to demolish Oakland’s & build 19 houses & an apartment block containing 6 flats.


The Explore
Sadly this beautiful building is in the middle of demolition - having scouted the property only 1 week earlier there was significant change so I don’t believe this will see the end of the month. Access can be less than ideal depending if you want all the surrounding houses & main roads watching you tackle the double fences & the site is also occupied by building crew.

At the risk of being laughed out the community here - I have to say having solo explored some very creepy places & not being one to be too spooked out generally… the ground floor in this place left me feeling very unnerved. This was not something I experienced exploring any of the other floors in this building but each time I came back to the main floor I was left feeling very uncomfortable - I also had not read the history before hand as I always like to enter with an open mind…


The Photography...

View attachment 513299View attachment 513300View attachment 513301View attachment 513302View attachment 513303View attachment 513304View attachment 513305View attachment 513306View attachment 513307View attachment 513308View attachment 513309View attachment 513310View attachment 513311View attachment 513312View attachment 513313View attachment 513314View attachment 513315View attachment 513316View attachment 513317View attachment 513318View attachment 513319View attachment 513320View attachment 513321View attachment 513322View attachment 513323View attachment 513324View attachment 513325View attachment 513326View attachment 513327View attachment 513328

Thankyou for reading & enjoy the Decay!
​

Nice report and great photos, shame these places all have a very sordid history.

 

[flesheater]

always impresses me with the quality of workmanship in these old buildings most things are made to a price nowadays.

 

[Cinema Dreamer]

Glue and soup manufacturer lol. I hope they got the stuff in the right tins! The demolition people love places like this, so much archetectural salvage to sell on.

 

[verdigris]

great pics, love the entrance hall and the tiled flooring.
terrible history, though

 

[Smilingshark]

Nice report and great photos, shame these places all have a very sordid history.

Hello
i stayed at Oaklands from Dec 1962 till July 1966, and enjoyed every minute of it, we boys never suffered any physical or mental abuse, Oaklands was run then by Mr Jackson and his wife whom we called Matron, they had a son called Gordon who visited now and then as he lived somewhere else not at the home, i went to school at Golborne Secondary Modern for Boys, maybe we who stayed there during Mr Jacksons tenure were the lucky ones, if it was still standing i could have given you detailed tour but alas its gone….but i still have the good memories from my time there.

 

[Hayman]

Hello
i stayed at Oaklands from Dec 1962 till July 1966, and enjoyed every minute of it, we boys never suffered any physical or mental abuse, Oaklands was run then by Mr Jackson and his wife whom we called Matron, they had a son called Gordon who visited now and then as he lived somewhere else not at the home, i went to school at Golborne Secondary Modern for Boys, maybe we who stayed there during Mr Jacksons tenure were the lucky ones, if it was still standing i could have given you detailed tour but alas its gone….but i still have the good memories from my time there.

It is a real pleasure to read of anything positive about any remand home/borstal/etc. Mrs Jackson sounds like the matrons
I knew at the boarding schools I was sent to.

 

[MushyMum]

Such a pity that such a beautiful building has such a sad history, shame it’s been demolished

 

[Hayman]

Such a pity that such a beautiful building has such a sad history, shame it’s been demolished

There was a time when it was thought normal to design elegance and 'beauty' into any building, even a railway station, a pumping station, or a sewage works. Then the brutalism of post-war design took over.
Thankfully, DP explorers are finding examples of old buildings that still exude their good looks, regardless of their actual purposes. Even the slaughterhouse in Bamako, the capital of Mali, had architectural style.

 

[Billy J]

Hello
i stayed at Oaklands from Dec 1962 till July 1966, and enjoyed every minute of it, we boys never suffered any physical or mental abuse, Oaklands was run then by Mr Jackson and his wife whom we called Matron, they had a son called Gordon who visited now and then as he lived somewhere else not at the home, i went to school at Golborne Secondary Modern for Boys, maybe we who stayed there during Mr Jacksons tenure were the lucky ones, if it was still standing i could have given you detailed tour but alas its gone….but i still have the good memories from my time there.

I too was there in the 1950s and 1960s. I remember Jake too (Mr Jackson), but not with too many happy memories. I was at Oaklands from the late 1950s until being transfered to a family group home in 1961only to be returned to Oaklands for a few months in 1966 (possibly May or June until October), before joining the Royal Navy. I remember running away with another lad, who also went to a school in Golborne, which was near a railway line. Got caught in Manchester and brought back. Punishment there was usually issued using a billiard cue, loss of pocket money and privilages. I also remember a lad who was nicknamed Punk, don't remember his proper name though. I returned to Oaklands again on my first leave from the navy, but this was for my last time,as I was then allocated foster parents from my second leave.

 

[Billy J]

Hello
i stayed at Oaklands from Dec 1962 till July 1966, and enjoyed every minute of it, we boys never suffered any physical or mental abuse, Oaklands was run then by Mr Jackson and his wife whom we called Matron, they had a son called Gordon who visited now and then as he lived somewhere else not at the home, i went to school at Golborne Secondary Modern for Boys, maybe we who stayed there during Mr Jacksons tenure were the lucky ones, if it was still standing i could have given you detailed tour but alas its gone….but i still have the good memories from my time there.

It's good to hear of other people's memories of Oaklands. It may be gone now but the memories will always linger on. I was there from about 1958 to 1961, and then again in the summer of 1966. I remember quite a few things about the place. The playroom with all the lockers, the table tennis table, the dividing concertina doors, the table in the window area, where Mr Jackson doled out the pocket money, but having to save some of it towards your spends on the annual holiday (usually to the Saltburn/Marske area. Think it was like an old army barracks type of place. In my time at Oaklands I'd slept in the back, side and top dormitories. The toilet and washing area, with your name on everything. The cellar, where the shoes were kept and cleaned, and the play area down there, where the billiard table was. The communal showers were down there too, and the boiler room. From the cellar there was a doorway leading to the outside yard and outside toilet. The outside play area, where there were swings a climbing frame and a wooden hut as a den. There was a grassed area to play football and cricket on (sometimes Mr Jackson would join in. The dining area, where you'd say grace before and after meals. I think it was four to a table, with plastic cups, saucers, plates etc. Cup of cocoa in the kitchen before bed. I attended Lowton St Mary's junior school. Mr Heaton was the headmaster. I also attend church at St Mary's on a Sunday, when we were given a penny for the collection. In the rotunda at the top of Oaklands, is where new shoes were kept and DC comics. The only time I seem to remember using the main entrance was when a parent or relative visited, or when being brought back after running away time and again. Though I didn't like it too much there, I still felt sad to see the pictures of it's demise and demolition. I visited the place in the 1990's and video'd the outside of the building. Sorry if this went on a bit.

 

[Sam Haltin]

No, you didn't harp on a bit. I found your story interesting. You could write a book about your times there. I assume that you are now retired from the Navy, what rank were you when you retired?

 

[Billy J]

No, you didn't harp on a bit. I found your story interesting. You could write a book about your times there. I assume that you are now retired from the Navy, what rank were you when you retired?

I started at HMS Ganges as a Junior seaman in 1966 aged 15, joined the main establishment as a Junior Radio Operator 2nd class, followed by 1st class and did 12 months at Ganges, which was very strict, but was also having family problems, back in Manchester. Failed my final exams and was transfered to HMS Raleigh, as a Junior seaman 1st class, where I spent another 3 months before contracting broncho-pneumonia and spending some time in sick quarters. I then became demoralised with everything, and when asked by my commanding officer if I wanted to leave the navy, replied "yes". that was my biggest mistake. If age didn't matter and I was asked today to join up again, I'd jump at the chance. Still, great memories though.

 

[Hayman]

Glue and soup manufacturer lol. I hope they got the stuff in the right tins! The demolition people love places like this, so much archetectural salvage to sell on.

My thought, also. Mind you, an oxtail might have come in handy when spreading the glue.

 

[Sam Haltin]

I started at HMS Ganges as a Junior seaman in 1966 aged 15, joined the main establishment as a Junior Radio Operator 2nd class, followed by 1st class and did 12 months at Ganges, which was very strict, but was also having family problems, back in Manchester. Failed my final exams and was transfered to HMS Raleigh, as a Junior seaman 1st class, where I spent another 3 months before contracting broncho-pneumonia and spending some time in sick quarters. I then became demoralised with everything, and when asked by my commanding officer if I wanted to leave the navy, replied "yes". that was my biggest mistake. If age didn't matter and I was asked today to join up again, I'd jump at the chance. Still, great memories though.

My father was an Armourer in the R.E.M.E. and his thoughts were the same as yours when he retired. He didn't want to leave the Army. He wanted to carry on and raise his rank to Warrant Officer but the Army said No and he became a Postman until he retired in 2017. Thanks for your story. H.M.S. Ganges and H.M.S. Raleigh have appeared somewhere in these pages in derelict form.

 

[night crawler]

I started at HMS Ganges as a Junior seaman in 1966 aged 15, joined the main establishment as a Junior Radio Operator 2nd class, followed by 1st class and did 12 months at Ganges, which was very strict, but was also having family problems, back in Manchester. Failed my final exams and was transfered to HMS Raleigh, as a Junior seaman 1st class, where I spent another 3 months before contracting broncho-pneumonia and spending some time in sick quarters. I then became demoralised with everything, and when asked by my commanding officer if I wanted to leave the navy, replied "yes". that was my biggest mistake. If age didn't matter and I was asked today to join up again, I'd jump at the chance. Still, great memories though.

I think your around my age so I doubt very much they would ask you. Mind you saying that I'd go back to work tomorrow if I was asked but I would struggle now