Wellesley House was built in about 1850 on land which formed part of the farmstead known as Twickenham Lodge. Its 15 acre grounds were bordered by Wellesley, Hampton and Stanley Roads. The house was originally Wellesley House Grammer School where R D Blackmore, the author of Lorna Doone, took the post of classics master there briefly, however he found the boys unruly and did not enjoy the experience.
On 25th September 1874 Wellesley House was taken over by the Metropolitan and City Police Orphanage who moved there from Fortescue House on the London Road in Twickenham which they had outgrown. It had opened in 1870 with 20 children, but by 1874 they had 115 children in their care, whom they brought to this site. Wellesley House had space for 200 children, however by 1878 there were 1000 orphaned children of deceased policemen within the Metropolitan and City area, albeit that only 2 from each family were allowed admission. Following an interest free loan a new wing was opened in 1882 to accommodate an additional 60 children, but this was woefully short of what was required so in 1883, a compassionate allowance at the rate of £2 12s.0d per child per annum became payable for children for whom there was no accommodation.
An interesting anecdote from minutes in 1871 state that the orphans had their beer allowance stopped on the grounds that
"...several of the orphans are total abstainers and these, of course, can receive it only as a medicinal comfort."
The allowance was restored in 1880 but only after the orphans had appeared before the Medical Officer for examination
"as to their suitability to receive it."
Donations allowed another new wing to be built, and in due course the orphanage had its own swimming pool, cinema, gymnasium, laundry, workshops and other amenities for the resident children.
A War Memorial Hospital was built in the grounds of the Orphanage on subscriptions from members of the two Police Forces in memory of 387 colleagues who gave their lives in the first world war. It was opened in 1923 by H.R.H. the Prince of Wales, subsequently the Duke of Windsor.
In 1937 Wellesley House was taken over by the Shaftesbury Homes (previously known as The National Refuges for Homeless and Destitute Children), themselves also moving from Fortescue House which they had used since 1878. Many of the boys stayed on, joining the boys from Fortescue House. The school now took the name of Fortescue House School. It was known as a 'barrack school' since the Shaftesbury Homes provided 200 trained and disciplined boys for the armed services each year.
Wellesley House closed in 1971 and most of the buildings were demolished.