British Seaman’s Boys' Home, Maritime orphanage in Brixham, England.
The British Seaman's Boys' Home was a maritime orphanage with multiple buildings spread along Berry Head Road, including a dedicated schoolroom and separate chaplain's residence. The facility housed boys whose fathers had worked at sea and could no longer care for them.
William Gibbs founded the home in 1863 to shelter abandoned sons of British seamen, and transferred its management to the Bishop of Exeter in 1875. The facility continued serving this purpose for many generations afterward.
The boys formed a bugle and drum band that marched together each week to All Saints Church for Sunday worship. These regular processions were a visible part of the town's weekly routine.
The home admitted boys between 8 and 14 years old through election by the management committee or nomination accompanied by a payment. Admission required meeting certain criteria set by the institution.
The home operated for 125 years until 1988, when it closed after serving generations of boys. Its buildings were later repurposed as the Grenville House Outdoor Education Centre in 1995, giving the site a new educational mission.
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