Scholfield Home For Girls, Wavertree

This home was formerly established at the private residence of Mrs Killick and her sisters, the Misses Scholfield, with the dedication and formal opening being carried out by the Bishop of Liverpool in May 1897. When the sisters moved away in 1906, they decided to donate their old house to the Waifs and Strays' Society for use as a children's home. On 20 May 1907, the Scholfield Home was officially opened with a dedication service and after the ceremony a speech expressed 'deepest gratitude' to the Scholfield sisters, after whom the Home was named.

The Home could accommodate 30 girls (aged 3-16), who were all given training in domestic service under the supervision of their Matron, Miss Holworthy. The girls ran their own laundry industry, providing a full washing and ironing service to families in the local area. Laundry work was very different than it is today as all the washing had to be done manually, which made it a time-consuming and skilled trade. The Home also operated a horse and cart, which would be taken around the town, delivering and collecting people's laundry.

Skills in housework enabled the girls to find employment as domestic servants, working in the houses of wealthy families. 'Old girls' who followed this career often remained in the local area, and kept in touch with their friends at the Scholfield Home. Any girl who spent three years in service was invited back to the Home and presented with a silver watch.

Mrs Killick and the Scholfield sisters continued to make regular donations to the Home, and they were well known by all the girls and staff. Upon Mrs Killick's death in 1920, a tribute appeared in the Society's magazine Our Waifs and Strays stating that 'many a girl who has passed through our hands speaks in grateful remembrance of the warm interest she took in them.'

The troubles of war forced the home to close in 1939. The girls were all evacuated to Pontesbury (near Shrewsbury). They stayed here until 1941, when they moved to a new home in Ormskirk (near Liverpool).