Josiah Mason's Orphanage was a very imposing place. The main door was very, very large(well, so it seemed to a 4 year old!)
The main corridor seemed endless and on the right hand side stood glass cases that housed stuffed animals and birds (a thing I still hate to see to this day).
At the end of the long, long corridor was a massive staircase that went up to the dorms. my first bed waas in the "Babies" section that was housed above the Chapel. In this room there were several beds and a fireplace with a huge old fashioned firegaurd surronding it.
The Orphange was sectioned into two halves, boys section and girls section.I was only allowed to go to see my brother once a week.
We were taught how to do housework and and laundrywork.
We went to Church on Sundays to Pype Hayes and then to Chapel in the Orphanage on Sunday Evening. My wonderful Grandparents tried to be there every Sunday night and if they couldn't make it I would cry!!
The orchards were my favourite place, I would love to wonder among the trees on my own and dream that I was there by mistake and my parents would come and find me.............childish dreams.
The children there were not all "Orphans", many had one parent and many had both parents and many had no parents. All of us were there for one reason or another and we became each others family.
We went down the huge play ground to the day school to be taught (Alberta.remember Mr Shillito?)
I used to think I was hard done by as I grew older but now I realize that I was proberbly very fortunate to have been raised in a place that taught me to be a good citizen and to try my best to live up to the school motto
DO DEEDS OF LOVE
So to Sir Josiah Mason Orphanage I say a big, big THANK YOU