Reedham Orphanage was founded in 1844 in Richmond, London as the Asylum for Fatherless Children by Rev Andrew Reed[1] taking children of both sexes and giving them food, shelter and education until the age of 13 and 14.[2]
It quickly outgrew the Richmond premises and relocated to Stoke Newington, then to Stamford Hill in 1846.[1][2] It immediately began fundraising for a new home. The funds for the site were raised by 1853.
At long last … we have purchased an estate three miles from Croydon on the trunk line of the Dover and Brighton Railway. It is paid for (the cost was £3,895). We shall put our Asylum on the crown of the Hill.[2]
— Rev Andrew Reed, 1853
The orphanage in Purley, Surrey was opened in 1858[1] with a capacity of 300.[3]
When Andrew Reed died in 1862 the asylum's name was changed to Reedham in his honour.[2][3]
The orphanage included a school for the children and a non-sectarian church which was added in 1879.[1][2] When the local railway station opened in 1911 it took the Reedham name.[3] The school was evacuated to Nottingham from July 1944 to June 1945.[2]
The home was closed in 1980 and sold for redevelopment. The proceeds established the Reedham Trust.[3] The Purley site is now occupied by a housing estate adjacent to St Nicholas School and Beaumont Primary School.
The Trust fulfills the original intent of the asylum by funding a boarding school education for children who through loss or incapacity of their parents, need to attend a boarding school. Their focus "is on boarding need rather than educational need".[4]
The trust is run from the former lodge building of the orphanage.[1][3]
