Lee Cottage Home For Girls, Dickleburgh

Lee Cottage was founded by Miss Mayo in 1883, who donated money for the building's refurbishment and also paid the annual rent on the property. The girls were looked after by Mrs Brandreth, who had been running the Rose Cottage Home (also in Dickleburgh) since 1878. These two homes both became part of the Waifs and Strays' Society on 1 July 1888.

Lee Cottage, like its sister-home, was certified to receive impoverished workhouse girls. Often these children had been orphaned from their families and were left alone in the world. They were sent to the Home by the Guardians of the Poor, which were local organisations who oversaw the running of the workhouses. The girls (aged 7-12) were given training in housework and laundry by their matrons, and many moved on to careers in domestic service. The Home operated a strict cleaning rota and all the children would do their share. They were also taught needlework skills, and all the girls were adept at mending their own clothes. Life in the cottage was not all hard work, and the children had their own playroom for 'evening recreation'. This was full of toys, including a large collection of dolls and a big wooden rocking horse.

The Home closed in 1895 when the girls moved to Lowestoft.