For Kitty Freund, 103, Sunday's blue plaque ceremony at the site of the former Norwood Orphanage was "an emotional experience".

Although not an orphan, Mrs Freund spent a number of years at the south London care facility where her aunt and uncle were respectively matron and headmaster.

She recalled living in its Arnold and Jane Gabriel Home for children aged five to eight.

"It was a lovely modern building and everything was of the best quality. Mrs Gabriel would visit in a horse and carriage and gave us a tea party once a year.

"Some of the children had very sad stories but I don't think people talked about them. Life wasn't perfect but the children were warm-hearted and we had lovely games to play."

When, aged 11, she won a scholarship to Streatham Hill High School, "it was a shock mixing with non-Jews. I had to have special meals and it took me a long time to settle down at school."

Mrs Freund was among VIPs at the ceremony, attended by a number of rabbis and DJ Mike Read in his capacity as a founder of the British Plaque Trust.

Built in 1866, the Norwood Orphanage educated and cared for thousands of Jewish children, both UK born and refugees.

It aimed to prepare the children for life in the community, offering education and apprenticeships. As the charity moved towards placing children in smaller, family type homes, the orphanage was demolished in 1961.

An exhibition of archive materials from the orphanage, including old letters and photographs, is currently on display at West Norwood Health and Leisure Centre, which operates on the orphanage site. Norwood archivist Martin Rayment said the plaque would serve as a reminder of "the place I always think of as Norwood's spiritual home, the place that gave us our name". Norwood was continuing the work it started, he added.

Councillor Jane Pickard, Lambeth's cabinet member for families and young people, paid tribute "to the great work of the Norwood Old Scholars group and the Norwood charity, who not only keep the memory of the building alive, but continue to support many vulnerable people".