Hi Ho, Hi Ho, it's off to work we go

We’ve talked before about the workshops in the Central Refuge on this blog before. But after coming across some beautiful photographs in the archive it is perhaps time to revisit this important part of the charity’s history.

Tailoring department

The boys in this photograph are all aged 14 and above and so eligible to work. The Refuge often had to apply for birth certificates for many of the boys who came under their care and were placed in the Refuge’s workshops. These were obtained by the charity under the Factory and Workshop Act of 1901, which required all children under the age of 16 to produce a certified copy of their birth certificate in order to work in a factory or workshop. It prevented unscrupulous employers from using young children in their factories for pittance pay. Many of the boys would have come to the charity without any form of identification.

Printing press

The printing department shown in the photograph above was created within the Central Refuge building on Francis Street in 1875. The five workshops made up of carpentry, firewood, tailoring and shoemaking were all created on the 2nd floor of the Refuge. An Otto gas engine was also installed to power the wood cutting and splitting machinery. In the printing department the boys would have used moveable typeset, seen in the image above, to create printed documents. Orders were taken from the local community for leaflets and pamphlets, bringing in much needed revenue to the charity. The printing department also created leaflets advertising the charity and appealing for donations.

 Woodworking department

Around £2,000 to £3,000 was made from these industrial departments every year, which was incorporated back into the charity’s work.

"We help those who try to help themselves."