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Welfare Centre Warren Farm Road Kingstanding

Vivienne14

Vivienne14

Kentish Brummie Moderator
Staff member
The Centre opened in 1932 at 298 Warren Farm Road. It dealt with infant and maternity matters and at one point provided a nursery in the absence of adequate nursery provision in the area. It also provided classes for mothers and fathers.

Viv.

Source: British Newspaper Archive1156EEC8-AEC8-479D-A3CD-935829974B38.jpeg
 

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interesting viv....just trying to work out where the centre would have stood...

lyn
 
Not 100% sure Lyn but this is probably the site, opposite Maple Drive near junction with College Road. Viv.
 

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Thanks all. That’s sorted that one out in my mind nw. My memory is quite hazy about this one. I remember the building, even the inside, but don’t remember it being on the site marked on the map. Probably was confused about it when mum took me there as a very young child.

It’s interesting that several social services and leisure amenities are clustered around the Warren Farm circle. Like common sense was applied in the plans !!

I think several clinics were built at the same time to cater for the demand from young families on newly built estates like the Kingstanding development. There was another clinic at 560 Kings Road, Kingstanding and 810 Walsall Road.

Viv.
 
1940 Kelly's
1623682785987.png

298 Warren farm Road is not where the clinic on Mike's map is.

This is a 1937 map but it shows the clinic at the far end of the road. This may be the one you recall Viv.

1623682940992.png
 
what is interesting me now mike is on you last map you have a clinic far left of the map.. as i said earlier on that ground now is a walk in centre...opposite the clinic is now what we locals call conker island..its basically a grassed over play area but what was on that ground before it became such..your map shows what looks like numbered buildings..just wondering if they were maybe prefabs...street view below of conker island

298 Warren Farm Rd · 298 Warren Farm Rd, Birmingham B44 0AD

298 Warren Farm Rd, Birmingham B44 0AD
www.google.com www.google.com
 
Vivienne14 said:
Thanks all. That’s sorted that one out in my mind nw. My memory is quite hazy about this one. I remember the building, even the inside, but don’t remember it being on the site marked on the map. Probably was confused about it when mum took me there as a very young child.

It’s interesting that several social services and leisure amenities are clustered around the Warren Farm circle. Like common sense was applied in the plans !!

I think several clinics were built at the same time to cater for the demand from young families on newly built estates like the Kingstanding development. There was another clinic at 560 Kings Road, Kingstanding and 810 Walsall Road.

Viv.
Click to expand...
The Kingstanding development was at the time, one of the largest social housing development in Europe. I would imagine that is why they included some additional infrastructure.
 
I shall copy your posts to the Prefabs thread Mike, Mort, Lyn and Pedro. Don’t think they’ve been mentioned on that thread before, but could be wrong. Thanks. Viv.

Edit. Done.
 
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My post seems not to have come up so will repost.
No large scale maps for later, but they disappear between then maps labelled c 1982 and 1994

warren farm road c 1994.jpgwarren farm road c 1982.jpg
 
Really sorry Mike I moved your post to Prefabs thread rather than just copying it, so have copied it back here. Having one of those days.

Might be best now to move everything on this thread about the Warren Farm prefabs to the Prefab thread. Shall have a look at it when I’ve found my thinking cap. Viv.
 
This afternoon was casting my mind back to the Welfare Centre and couldn’t help wondering if the midwives for the area were based there. My mum had two home births and I remember she said Nurse Cook(e) was contacted at her home when needed. But surely in the 1940s/50s midwives had a place to work out of. If so, I presume the likes of Nurse Cook(e) would have been attached to the Warren Farm Road Centre.

Viv.
 
I do remember that midwives were based at the welfare centre on March Lane, I would have thought so. They did their rounds on bikes.
 
Vivienne14 said:
This afternoon was casting my mind back to the Welfare Centre and couldn’t help wondering if the midwives for the area were based there. My mum had two home births and I remember she said Nurse Cook(e) was contacted at her home when needed. But surely in the 1940s/50s midwives had a place to work out of. If so, I presume the likes of Nurse Cook(e) would have been attached to the Warren Farm Road Centre.

Viv.
Click to expand...
good point viv..welfare centres would not have been open 24/7.. even during opening hours moms to be could only contact them if they had a house phone unless of course someone went to the centre to say a baby was on the way..we never had a phone until 1973 by which time myself and 5 younger siblings had all been born...all home births except for the youngest.. doctor advised because mom was 40 best to go into hospital...i can only think that moms to be were given the addresses of local midwifes so that someone could go round and knock them up in the middle of the night as no doubt many did..also worth a thought that sometimes when no midwife was available very often an unqualified friend or neighbour stood in..wished i had asked mom more about this.. :rolleyes:

lyn
 
Lyn
There were phoneboxes. I agree about them being in a centre, but , unless the birth was occurring very close to there, I would have thought someone would have gone to the phonebox.
 
mikejee said:
Lyn
There were phoneboxes. I agree about them being in a centre, but , unless the birth was occurring very close to there, I would have thought someone would have gone to the phonebox.
Click to expand...
oh yes mike i had forgotten about phone boxes mind you we never used those very much as most of the people we knew did not have phones either lol

lyn
 
I agree Lyn, but for contacting the doctor/ midwife etc, I would have expected them to be used
 
Vivienne14 said:
The Centre opened in 1932 at 298 Warren Farm Road. It dealt with infant and maternity matters and at one point provided a nursery in the absence of adequate nursery provision in the area. It also provided classes for mothers and fathers.

Viv.

Source: British Newspaper ArchiveView attachment 157960
Click to expand...
This clinic was on the left coming from Hawthorn almost at end of Warren Farm Road near College Road . If you entered Warren Farm Road from College Road it would be the beginning of WFR and it would be on your right.

The other Warren Farm Clinic now a emergency walk in clinic can only be accessed on the left hand side of the road going towards Hawthorne Road. Conker island there is in the middle.
 
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