Dame Margaret's Home was opened as a Dr Barnardo Home in 1889 The house was purchased February 1910 as a home for boys aged five to 14 years. Dame Margaret's closed May 1946.

38/1 Childhood Memories a photographic history of Dr Barnardo's

Washington in Co. Durham, where Dame Margaret's Home was situated, some 264 miles from London and was first opened as an orphanage in 1889 It had formerly been the home of Sir Isaac Bell, founder of the Washington Chemical Works, who was for some years a Member of Parliament and also the Lord Mayor of Newcastle upon Tyne in 1863. It was in the late 1870s that the Bell family left Washington Hall, after the death of Sir Isaac's wife, Margaret in 1871. Sir Isaac gave the Hall to be used as an orphanage and it was renamed "Dame Margaret's Home" in memory of his wife.

Dame Margaret's Home was large house, which had been purchased and taken over by Dr. Barnardo's in February 1910 as a home for boys aged five to 14 years. In 1912 Dame Margaret's Home was divided into two, one half being the girls' section and the other half for the boys. There were 120 children in all. Mr. Armitage who had come from Leopold House was responsible for the welfare of the boys while his sister, Miss Armitage, acted in the same capacity for the girls. They were ably assisted in their task by a Mr. Charles Nunn and a Miss Metcalfe. Mealtimes, however, were united occasions. We sat at trestle type tables, stretching the length of the dining hall but, here again, the boys and girls occupied their own particular sections. Grace was sung before and after every meal, and, following breakfast, morning prayers were held while the children were still at the tables.

The children were marched down to the local school, which was about half a mile away, for their education, and every Sunday morning they were marched to Holy Trinity Church and sat in the gallery for the morning service. Sunday school and evening service were both held in the home under the leadership of Mr. Armitage.

The children, especially the older ones, had work to do, for example, Four boys were responsible for cleaning all the girls' shoes and some of the younger boys' boots every morning before breakfast, which meant something like fifty pairs! During the spring and summer evenings they also had to assist in the very large vegetable garden, digging and weeding and doing other necessary jobs, and during the school summer holidays there was the haymaking to be done.

From 1939 Dame Margaret’s Home was used as an evacuation home throughout the war. The home was finally closed May 1946 with the children moving to Beaconsfield House, Cullercoats arriving late at night with the smell of a gas leak. Dr Barnardo's sold the property in 1948 to the National Coal Board.