It is ironic that these massive buildings that dominate the ridge at Ashley Down were known for

generations as the Muller Homes. Their founder, German immigrant George Muller, was insistent on the
title 'The New Orphan House' as he did not want his name to be prominent, for he considered himself
merely an instrument in the venture. In fact, in his youth he must have seemed an unlikely candidate for
such benevolent activities, due to his dissolute lifestyle.

After a great change of heart he became a minister and in 1832 was appointed joint pastor of Bethesda
Chapel in Great George Street. In 1836 he started an orphanage at no 6 Wilson Street, St Pauls, near to
where Elizabeth Blackwell once lived. The Blackwell house, though dilapidated, still stands but the Muller
house was pulled down several years ago.

Over time George Muller rented several other houses in Wilson Street, to accommodate the increasing
number of orphans he took into care. As the work expanded he realised that these rented houses were
far from ideal for many reasons. One of these was the fact that the residents of the street raised
objections to the noise made by the children playing outside. Purpose built premises were the answer.

Muller operated his orphanages on the 'faith' system - having faith that money would be provided to him
for their upkeep and never asking any man for money, trusting solely that God would answer his prayers.
In this faith he embarked on the search for suitable land and found it in Ashley Down. The money for the
construction as well as the other costs came from donations.

In 1845 he entered into a contract for the purchase of the 7 acres of ground at £120 per acre for the
accommodation, feeding, clothing and education of 300 destitute and orphan children. On June 18th
1849 the orphans transferred to the new building. By 1886 he had received £700,000 through prayer and
had over 2,000 children in his care.

The buildings are made of grey Pennant stone dressed with freestone. They may present a grim exterior
to the world, but one of the features is the high ceilings and the number of windows - 300 in Number 1
House.

Although the day started at 6am for the orphans, this was normal for working-class children of Victorian
times.

The standard of education was high, with boys staying at school until 14 years old and always being
provided with a job to go to when they left the home.
Girls stayed until they were 17 years old and went into domestic service, nursing and teaching. All were
provided with an outfit of clothes.

George Muller died a poor man in 1898, with few possessions. At his funeral over 100 carriages followed
the hearse and thousands of people lined the route to Arnos Vale Cemetery. His work was carried on but
by the 1950s the large communal dwellings were being phased out in favour of smaller family units in
ordinary houses. In 1958 the children and organisation headquarters had moved from Ashley Down and
the buildings became Bristol College of Science and Technology, later changed to City of Bristol College,
Brunel Campus. Now new houses have been built on the site as the Orphanage no longer exsts.

A museum showing items from Muller's work, including information on the children, is at Muller House,
7 Cotham Park, Bristol, BS6 6DA. The museum is open between 10am and 4pm Monday to Friday
excluding bank holidays. Visitors are welcome but prior notification is appreciated. Muller Foundation
website