Some charities offered shelter and education or practical training for homeless children in the 19th century. However, the majority of these were set up specifically for homeless boys. Exceptions included the Newcastle Ragged and Industrial School which accepted girls from 1849 and institutions such as the Northumberland Village Homes for Girls (founded in 1880) which prepared homeless girls for a life in domestic service.
A lot of the institutions for boys were modelled on military service. The Wellesley training ship offered homeless boys an education that would equip them for a life at sea. The ship was founded in 1868 and located on the Tyne until it was destroyed by fire in 1914.
We found this photo at Northumberland Archives (reference number 7146/13/114)