Boughton Hall development reunites Barnardo’s old boys

Two former residents of a Barnardo’s children’s home have been reunited more than half a century after losing touch.

A chance conversation led Klaus Armstrong-Braun and John Smurthwaite back together. And at an emotional first meeting they spent hours reminiscing about the home which Mr Smurthwaite describes as a ‘Disneyland’.

The two men both lived at Boughton Hall, in Filkin’s Lane, Chester in the 1950s. The house was bequeathed to the charity by the man they knew as The Doctor – grief stricken father, Dr Teasdale, desperate to help vulnerable children after his own son died.

“The nurses who looked after us always said we must make a fuss of him,” said Mr Smurthwaite. “He used to turn up in a big black car – he was one of the few people around with a car!”

Mr Smurthwaite was moved to the Hall, with his brother Bill, from a children’s home in Liverpool.

“It was a wonderful place,” he remembers. “There were about 30 of us – boys and girls. We slept in dormitories. We got pocket money, went to the cinema and had picnics in the fields. I used to walk to school and every Sunday we walked, two by two, along the canal to church.”

Mr Smurthwaite remembers Mr Armstrong-Braun arriving at the home. “He got into a fight with some other boys soon after he arrived,” said Mr Smurthwaite. “I was only seven. We called him Big Klaus – he was 14 with hairy legs, almost a grown up.”

Mr Armstrong-Braun had been shipped to Boughton Hall in 1954 from a Barnardo’s home in Belfast. He was taken in by the Irish Red Cross from a German orphanage in Essen in 1944.

The pair found themselves in neighbouring beds and bonded over late night chats.

“There was talk about being shipped to Australia,” said Mr Smurthwaite. “We were told stories about travelling on a big boat and it being sunny every day. But Klaus was more suspicious. He told me about the big spiders and crocodiles. I thought about it for a few days and then told Matron I wasn’t going. Klaus didn’t go either.”

Mr Smurthwaite left Boughton Hall when he was 11 and was eventually fostered by a couple in Birkenhead, where he still lives.

“My welfare officer told me Klaus was working locally training as an engineer but I didn’t see him again,” said Mr Smurthwaite, who’s now 64.

Mr Armstrong-Braun retained his links with Barnardo’s after leaving at the age of 16 – returning for Sunday lunches. He went on to build a successful career, first as a professional engineer and then as an environmental scientist.

“I have very good memories of my time at Boughton Hall,” he said. “It’s lovely to see the Hall being used properly. It was a unique, historical building and it’s now one of the best retirement schemes I’ve seen.”

Mr Smurthwaite agrees. He visited Boughton Hall a few times over the years and was disappointed to see it fall into a state of disrepair. “It was sad to see it abandoned – it held such wonderful memories,” he said.

Then he spotted an advert for Boughton Hall, a new retirement community and rang the telephone number. After explaining the Hall used to be his home, Mr Smurthwaite was invited to visit.

“It’s been extended a lot and obviously refurbished but I could still picture it as it was,” said Mr Smurthwaite. “I was so happy to see it being looked after.”

The story turned complete circle when Mr Armstrong-Braun visited the Hall from his home just a few miles away in Broughton, and staff mentioned Mr Smurthwaite’s visit.

Their unusual names meant the pair recognised each immediately. And they were invited to stage their reunion at the inaugural meeting of the History Group set up by the new residents of the Hall.

The original building has been renovated and transformed by Barnardo’s, in association with Enterprise Retirement Living Limited, into communal areas including a bar and library, lounge, hair salon and gym. An oak-framed restaurant has also been added. Upstairs the original dormitories and corridors are now contemporary self-contained apartments. Further living accommodation is provided in new apartment buildings in the grounds. Profits from the sale of the apartments contribute to the care of vulnerable children.

The first residents moved in to Boughton Hall a year ago and they’ve set up the History Group to record the history both of the building and the people who have lived there.

Mr Smurthwaite and Mr Armstrong-Braun were guests of honour at the first meeting where they were able to share their memories and help bring the Hall as a Barnardo’s home alive.

“As Klaus talked he’d spark off another memory for me,” said Mr Smurthwaite. “It was lovely to be able to share our stories. And it was nice to meet the people who are now making our home their home.”

The Boughton Hall History Group is keen to hear from anyone else who has lived or worked at Boughton Hall over the years. For more information, visit: Boughtonhall.com