Newcastle
Orphan House, Newcastle
Last Updated:
4 Nov 2024
Newcastle
This is a
Place of Worship, School
54.975345, -1.612882
Founded in
Current status is
Designer (if known):
Redeveloped
Take a look up above Barclays next time you walk past - it’ll give you a clue about what used to stand here. Here’s a long read…
This was the home of the Orphan House. Though his intention was to school children and house widows, John Wesley ended up utilising it as a base for Methodism in the North East. It’s the same Wesley who implanted his religious ideals across every pit village in the North East, for which many chapels under his principles still exist today. In fact, Wesley said this was one of his two favourite places (the other being Kingswood at Bristol) and had his own study inside. Before this, he preached in a small room opposite, as well as on a green slope near the Keelmans Hospital.
Back when it was founded in the early 1740s, it stood beyond the town gates. Pilgrim Gate stood on Blackett Street. Wesley still opted to build here anyway, citing his religious fervour and faith in the lord that nothing untoward would happen to it. Funnily enough, only a few years later he was present here when Bonnie Prince Charlie arrived as part of the Second Jacobite Rising. The army ended up travelling around the city and the building stayed intact. Wesley only first visited in 1742, but was struck by the depravity and profanity of the little children. He preached at Garth Heads and Sandgate to numbers only met in London.
Through the next years Wesley preached across the North East by the way but made Newcastle his main outpost from the south. He preached at Seaton Sluice as well as Swalwell and Chester le Street.
It remained in use for over a century. It was used as a regular polling station during elections, meetings for local societies and of course regular Wesleyan meetings and religious education for 500 scholars at a time. The latter would form the basis of its replacement.
The final days of the old house saw great celebrations, with 600 people visiting that occasion. Brunswick Chapel was built in the 1820s which superseded this place, and the Orphan House predominantly became a school. Therefore, a fit for purpose building was constructed in the late 1850s and stood for around a century.
Sadly, this is the only known illustration of its exterior despite photographers being located nearby
Listing Description (if available)
It is difficult to tell whether the Ordnance Survey surveyed in 1858 and published in 1864 depicts our original building or the later one, as it was demolished exactly the same time. However, it still gives us a valuable insight into the town at the time. You'll notice it only took a century for Newcastle's central borders to grow to around the same extent as today to Barras Bridge. Northumberland Street featured every amenity - pubs, hotels, offices, and such functions as this one. There was even an early bowling green on the north side in a rear yard. The Orphan House is the building with an indentation on the street front.
The plan of the 1890s provides us better detail. The Orphan House is clearly labelled and that same indentation can be seen again - a courtyard at the front entrance. The Fenwick's building next to the Oak Leaf can be seen, which was consumed during the 1913 developments.
Interestingly, the map published in 1919 shows the front courtyard built over - likely as a front extension for the school. Sadly, it's impossible to find any photographs before or after - only an illustration. You'll see Fenwick by the time of this plan had fully extended along Brunswick Place and will only see further expansion once Eldon Square shopping centre comes along.
The site of the Orphan House in September 2024
The only known external illustration of the original Orphan House, undated
The Orphan House Wesleyan School of the 1850s, illustrated in "The Orphan House of Wesley" by William Wood Stamp. Thanks to Steve Ellwood for rooting this one out.