Ramsdale School (later Abbey House Nursing Home)


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Its only took me 40 years to share ..if course there are many more experiences..in ramsdale some happy some shameful ..and sad ..only one happy memorey is the peacock in the grounds "chocolate drops" if i remember correctly ..everyday he waited in the grounds ..ir so i felt funny the things you remember to brighten your days :)

 

Ian 123 ..ty my love ..god bless u x we are children of a diff time.. Least now its out x

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There are many unanswered questions..why no one noticed some of the nighttime activitys of the girls..(altjough now as a resonsible mother and grandmother ..it is obvious they were acting out the abuse in their lives. Leaving some children of a night to get out of the way ...and go wondering.. Also ..the night one of the girls ..set fire to her room..... And all of us girls rushed down ... To the main school in the new building ... .and the girl in question has suddenly gone home... Never to return.. I think about her to this day ..but can i find a record? No..

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  • 1 year later...
On 2/19/2018 at 4:35 PM, Cuddles said:

yes i do cause i went to ramdale school  from 1976 to the day it close it doors back in 1980. i loved it there. i have been looking for my old friends. my name back then was heather burke

Hi Heather,

I was your housemother ( Miss Joanne) from 1979-80

All the children at Ramsdale totally touched my heart and even to this day I still wonder what became of you all.

Everyone I cared for were very special to me, but can’t deny over the years I still think of you. I’m not sure if you’ll remember but one weekend you couldn’t go home and had nowhere to go. I took you home with me!!

Today this would never be allowed but back in the 70’s it was ok. 

I also took my whole group I cared for to my home for a special tea party in an attempt to give you all some happy moments. I can remember taking you all blackberry picking in the grounds and going for evening walks. So it wasn’t all bad, but I’m sure as a young child it must have felt awful. I have a few photos of our time in the school buried somewhere in my loft along with my own family memories. 

The abuse many of you suffered from your home lives/ relatives still haunts me today and I do still talk about it. 

I hope as an adult you have found some happiness and I can assure you myself and the other house mothers had some battles with Miss Alton when we saw or heard anything we didn’t approve of.

I hope my words can give you some comfort and that you now know you were cared about.

Jo ( Miss Joanne ) 

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  • 2 years later...
On 8/22/2013 at 6:00 PM, jo mac said:

I worked at Ramsdale park school as a House mother from 1979 -80, & I am currently living in temporary rented accommodation, which is on the outskirts of the old school grounds. I walk my dogs everyday around the old site & it has triggered many memories.

There were 3 housemothers & the children were divided between us & our senior & 1 housemother lived in. We worked split shifts from 7 am in the morning, until they went to school, we then went home & returned from 3-9pm. We had to enter through what would have been the tradesman's entrance to the far right of the building , next to the kitchen. This was very much a classic large country house kitchen. there was a rear staircase & the children resided on the 1st & second floor. They shared large dormitories with metal framed beds & there were at least 6- 8 children in each room. The bathrooms were large & communal , with baths divided by partition walls. It felt extremely Victorian in style. Each floor consisted of long corridors & had a very institutionalised feel to it. My role was to get them up, washed & dressed in a morning. After which we took them down to breakfast in the large panelled dining room, which was on the far left of the building, it was a bright room & housed a big fireplace. We then walked them to the purpose built school annexe ( built 60's/70's) They ranged in age from 5 - 12 years old. The children resided Monday to Friday only, going home for the weekends. Upon their return ,Monday morning always began with having to de-louse the children. Probably only 20% had true special needs, quite a few came from neglected backgrounds, suffering physical & sexual abuse & some had just slipped through the educational net & had got behind. The main inner hall was rather lovely & had panelled oak walls & banisters, with a wide staircase. In bad weather the staff got snowed in & had to sleep in the green domed towers. These were large round rooms , dark & rather eerie to sleep in. The paths & woods surrounding it today have changed very little , but are certainly more overgrown. The headmistress lived in a newly built bungalow at the top of the drive, in front of the main house.. Inside the majority of the house always felt dark & oppressive. It must have been a frightening place for the children! 

Hi All i went to Ramsdale park from 1978 to 1979 as anyone got any old pictures off the school please i was known as Jane Wheatley im now known as Emiy Swain. if anyone got or find any pictures could you plase send me some emilyswain68@outlook.com thank you 

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