Museum opens for Bristol orphanage founder George Müller Published duration 4 September 2019

image copyright George Müller Trust image caption George Müller built five orphanages in Bristol, opening the first one in 1836

A new museum celebrating the work of "groundbreaking" Bristol orphanage owner George Müller has opened on the site of one of his homes.

Müller built five houses for orphaned children, where 10,000 young Victorians were cared for before his death.

"They felt that poor children shouldn't be educated, but Müller's faith compelled him to treat them equally," said Müller Trust CEO, Dan Docherty.

Müller raised £1.5m in his lifetime, which would be worth £86m today.

Every child who left his orphanages in Bristol was able to read and write, and left with a guaranteed job as well as an allowance for clothing - a stark contrast to the harsh workhouse conditions of the era.

Müller's Christian preaching about the orphanages saw him travel around the world.

He also met with US President Rutherford B. Hayes in 1878 to discuss his work.

image copyright George Muller Trust image caption Müller personally prayed for every orphan that entered his care, according to the Müller Trust

The new museum displays plans for the orphanages, a recreation of Müller's study and an archive of the 17,556 children who lived there before the homes closed in 1950.

"Müller trusted people to give generously and Bristolians at the time did," said Mr Docherty.

"There simply was no other state provision for orphaned children at the time, and it was groundbreaking.

"We'd love it for Bristolians to learn more about this important part of local history."

When Müller died at the age of 92 in 1898, the Daily Telegraph wrote that he had "robbed the cruel streets of thousands of victims and the workhouses of thousands of helpless waifs".

image copyright George Muller Trust image caption Müller's homes cared for a total of 17,556 young people between 1857 and 1950