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summer lane morgue

i also have a pic of court 17 hospital st

Lyn, if it's not too much trouble could you post that pic please? My great-grandma lived at 21/9 Hospital St just before she got married, so it sounds as though it was close .... (is the court number 21 or 9?)

But don't worry if it'd take you ages to find it.
 
Whoops Mike I usually test first, while on this does it say 1930 above the door.
 
Yes alf it does, and ,come to think of it , it does look a bit "modern". maybe it was rebuilt ?
m ike
 
Thanks Mike never thought of it like that, in my Newtown & Summer Lane Book with the Trees it looks like it had the Brickwork Pointed.
 
I never knew this thread existed, good job I used the search
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I remembered the other day that while working in Hockley we had a man come from time to time to put down rat poison around the building in little trays, some co workers seemed to look down on him, but I often had a quick chat if he was about.

This one day I was on the polishing lathe and this guy turned up and after he had spoken to one or two of my colleagues he seemed to have been directed towards me. He was holding a piece of brass about 5 inches by 2 inches and 1/4 inch thick and asked me if I would polish it up for him, he offered me some money but as I was polishing anyway and the gaffer was not about I told him I would do it for nothing.

It was very dull looking and seemed to have a kind of thickish layer of muck on it so I had to clean it by hand first, using emery paper lightly then polish it up. I spent some time giving it a good polish on the lathe and was pleased
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with the finished result, it looked new and gleaming!!!

I called the guy over from where he was sitting and gave it to him, he was delighted. He mentioned it was an ornament when I asked what it was for and off he went.

I noticed my colleagues were smirking and looking over at me so I asked what was the matter.
They mentioned that the guy had asked a few of them first and they refused.

It seems they knew he had spoken before of the morgue in Summer Lane (which had a bad rat problem) was being either renovated or closing down,( around late 80's I think) and the brass fittings from the slabs were just left lying about.


I had just polished one of them!!!!!!!
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When my father died in 1981 there had to be autopsy, and if i remember my brother and l had to go up summer lane way, now don't forget l'd been gone since 1958 so l may be a little confused.....also across the street on a corner was a florist, very convenient....but l'm sure it was summer lane way.....glad to hear it has closed down as it seemed so dark grey and depressing mind it was early January which always seemed that way to me.....Brenda
 
Hi guys
if i remember from many years ago the origional morge was around the dark ages as i call it
around the cornerfrom hospital street and still in dark brown coloured doors then
and it was on the old road towards town from newtown row
passing henry corbets ,passing baggots st , passing clivland st . over the hump cannal bridge
still on the main rd towards the city
and in today sight the morgue was more or less in the line facing the old turks head pub
which may i add was not around in those days many years before the planners ever thought of changing road and demob the old houses and factorys and removing the old culde sac rd which i cannot recall
but i do kow there was a family of hansons living up there whom i knew personally and visited
and was related to dear old ken dodd the comedium
and facing that thats where the old morgue was orinional it was only used for very serious accidents during
the late nights of death until the next morning or if they discovered a dead person tey was put in there
until morning then taken around to the hospital which was around the corner
then as time went on they built that one down summer lane just past the nick
there was a mr ridding whom lived in ickneild port rd many many years ago was the mortary attentant
by wiggan st for many years ago he also was the mortary attenant for the summerfield and general hospitals
but the by then theybuilt them in the hospital grounds
i lived in inkerman house in tose days as well just along from the summer lane mortuary and the old nick
and the blue lamp pub
have a nice day every body best wishes Astonian ;;;;;
 
Astonian, you have rattled my old brain matter, and l do recall the morgue was up from newtown row towards town, as thats the way we approached it, my brother was driving and l'm not so abservant when someone else is behind the wheel but now l can picture it very clearly...Brenda
 
Please help me on this one,,,,,I remember having to go many times to the city mortuary,at night would go round Police station for the keys,That was in the late 60s early 70s,Just had memory that it was around corner from the General Hospital, It was the place that certified deaths would be taken to if Hospital doctor certified death on scene or in back of Ambulance at hospital.If this happened deceased taken City Mortuary.
 
hi cearnegioant

you have it partly correct; in being yes it was in the old summer lane end and it was just down the rd from the hospital
or if you like around and down the rd from the general not disputing your job because yes the did pick up the bodies from there and then eventualaly moved them to the hospital during day light hours if there was an accident on the rd or a dead body discovered during night fall
yes they would be put in the mortuary during the middle of the night then moved up to the hospital
but your dates of the years are slightly out you said 60 --to 70; well i think you meant to say was 40 to fifties
because summer lane ceased in the fifties that being the mortary where it was moved up to steel house lane in the fifties
as a lad i recall it and in the 60 =70s i worked at dyno rod and we went there every 3 months contract to do there drainage
and as a lad i can recall the old mortary plus i knew a guy whom i cannot name was the mortary attendant there in the city main
whom lived in ickneild port rd and i went out with his daughter ; named ursula
have a nice day ; est wishes astonian
 
I was just reading this interesting thread and was wondering if anyone remembers a clinic at all?
I Vaguely remember going somewhere close to the morgue to have some teeth taken out when i was at school.
I Might be mistaken though .
 
I most be talking about the one by Steele house lane Police Station,I was on Birmingham Ambulance service in 1970s , At night keys would be picked up from Steel house lane Police station,Day time it was manned by attendant,It had its own Post mortum room and bodies from there transfered direct to undertakers after clearance,It was not pleasent place to have to go tooIf you talking about early 70s there was attendant there who I will also not name,just say that he was very enthusiastic about his job.The way we would try not to have to go there was to get hospital to accept body.If certified dead at scene or on arrival at hospital it would go direct to mortuary.
 
My great grandfather suffered from epilepsy, it’s well known in the family that he had a fit and they thought he was dead, he woke up in the Summer Row morgue his name was John Robinson
 
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