Ravensdale was a Victorian villa and gate lodge built in the 1800s for William Willicombe, an architect, who was known as the 'Cubitt of Tunbridge Wells' for the number of houses he built in the area.

William Willicombe lived in the house until his death in 1878, there is some uncertainty about who then became the owner it was bought in 1934 by  St Christophers College, a private nursery training college founded by Constance Barker in 1906. The children were of parents, who worked abroad or travelling actors who paid for their children to live at St Christopher's. The staff who looked after the children paid to be trained as nursery nurses. From the start, the college took in several babies from Dr. Barnardo's.

Dr. Barnardo's took over St Christopher's in August 1947 for unmarried mother and young children, Then In 1934 the home moved to the sprawling nine acre site in Pembury Road.  1972 day care units opened, Ravensdale and Woodlands. Closed September 1976

In the early days up to 120 under 5's lived in the original building, Ravensdale. Many were evacuees from war-torn London. Miss Mary Hilton, principal from 1948-74, recalls a picture of rows of flannels, towels, and tooth­brushes in the bathrooms and large rooms with child-sized tables and chairs, wooden slides, and rocking horses. The children were physically well cared for, but they lived in an 'emotional vacuum', lacking ordinary everyday ex­periences of a normal home. Most of the children seldom, if ever, saw their families. Travelling matrons escorted the children if they moved on, totally unprepared in those days, to foster homes or other homes.

During the '50's and early '60's there were up to 25 babies a year on the nursery landing. Many were illegiti­mate and waiting for adop­tion, staying only two months. Other children, because it was a training centre, were han­dled by a range of people. But greater awareness of the need for children to have constant carers led to the end of NNEB

Training efforts were then made to make life more inter­esting for long-stay youngsters and the cottage complex was built with groups of seven children living in each with house parents. It was to prove a healthier way of living. Links with the local community were developed and the parents were encouraged to visit. The children no longer needed to live in a fantasy world.

In the first years, all children at St Christopher' s were from Barnardo' s, but by 1970 most were in local authority care. The "Woodlands", the nursery school closed in 1976 and the day care facility was re­duced to 30 children occupying the ground floor of the main Victorian building. The criteria for admission changed and children and their families with special needs were to be catered for and many attended for only part of a week.

Changes came to  Ravensdale too. Gradually it was developed into a day care centre where highly specialised work is done with under 5's with develop­ment problems. The Ravensdale day care project was to continue even after the closing of St. Christopher's. During the early 1980' s the residential work was gradually run down and most of the children stayed only a year or two before returning home, joining a foster family or becoming independent in a bed-sit or hostel, finally closing in 1983.

The Ravensdale Day Care project continues today flourishing in the new purpose built buildings.