Salvation Army homes for women / approved schools for girls: Newstead / Longden House and Wincobank Hall

These are the records of Newstead/Longden House (N:LH), 1900-1977.

Although these two social centres were separate institutions, they also had a co-existing and intertwined relationship and have therefore been catalogued as one collection.

In 1899, the Salvation Army opened Wincobank Hall as its 'rescue home' in Sheffield. By 1908, Wincobank has been redesignated, along with most of the other old rescue homes, as an industrial home.

In 1915, the home at Wincobank Hall was transferred to 29-31 Kenwood Park Road, Sheffield and renamed 'Newstead'.

In 1942, Newstead became a (Home Office) Approved Home. At the same time the two houses that formed the home were reorganised as separate centres, with one of the houses (at no 31) becoming known as 'Longden House' - an Approved Hostel. By the 1970s both homes had been redesignated as Community Homes.

Newstead and Longden House were closed in 1985.

These records cover the life of Newstead/Longden House from 1899 (under its first name Wincobank Hall) until 1977. Some items are closed - with all being individually marked. As a general rule (as of 2009) files or volumes which have sensitive content are closed for 75 years.

The records were not kept in any 'original order' so have been arranged in a logical structure. At times it has been difficult to accurately establish the relationship between the two homes or the provenance of some of the records, so sensible decisions have been made to determine the most likely situation and origin.

The arrangement of the records is as follows:

N:LH/1 Newstead (including the records of Wincobank Hall, 1900-1922)

N:LH/2 Longden House

N:LH/3 Shared records

Wincobank Hall was opened by the Salvation Army in 1899 as its Sheffield Rescue Home.

In 1915, the home was transferred to 'Newstead', 29 Kenwood Park Road, Sheffield.

In April 1942, in common with a number of the remaining industrial homes, Newstead became a (Home Office) Approved Home, at No.29. At the same time the two houses that formed the home were reorganised as separate centres, with Longden House becoming an Approved Hostel.

The house numbers 29, 31 and 29-31, and the homes' changing designations are sometimes used inconsistently in the various sources and further research is needed to clarify an exact sequence of later events for these homes. The next major change which is clear occurred when 'the Approved School system was abolished by the Children and Young Persons Act 1969, and replaced them with Community Homes with Education (CHEs)'. Similar changes affected the other approved institutions, and by the 1970s both homes had been redesignated as Community Homes [additional work needed to clarify].

Newstead and Longden House were both closed in 1985.

Wincobank Hall, Newstead and Longden House records have been catalogued as one collection. Wincobank Hall is regarded as Newstead in its first inception. Newstead/Longden House are regarded as two centres with a co-existing and intertwined relationship, so are therefore regarded as one shared provenance for archival purposes.

Most of this collection is closed to the public. Records of a personal nature relating to identified individuals are closed for the lifespan of the individual. When it is not possible to establish whether an individual has died, a closure period of 84 years (if the individual was an adult when the record was created) or 100 years (if the individual was a child when the record was created) is imposed under the Data Protection Act. Former residents can apply for access to their own records. Please enquire for details. Open files can be viewed in the reading room of The Salvation Army International Heritage Centre, open Tue-Fri 9.30-4.00. To make an appointment or to enquire about your own records, phone: 0207 326 7800; or email: heritage@salvationarmy.org.uk .

A multi-level description of this collection can be accessed in the International Heritage Centre's online catalogue: http://www.calmview.eu/SalvationArmy/CalmView/ . A paper catalogue is available in the reading room of the International Heritage Centre.