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Witton Isolation Hospital burnt down in 1967

Hi Bob:This hospital was actually in Kingstanding at Hawthorn and College Road. The area came under Witton Lodge, Here's a bit from
Bill Dargue amazing site:

Take a look. Hawthorn School has an interesting origin. Pending the building of Hastings Road Council School, it first opened in 1925 as Perry Common Temporary Council School and was held in the buildings of the former isolation hospital at the corner of Hawthorn Road and College Road. The hospital had been built by the West Bromwich Guardians of the Poor in this remote spot following a number of epidemics during the early 1890s
 
John thank you for that. My mom said she once worked at an isolation hospital for a short time and coming from Witton I bet that was the one. Going to take a closer look at the folk with plackards see if I remember anyone. Jean.
 
would this have been the one on college road...locals have told me about an isolation hospital there that was burned down and a section of houses were built on the ground...if i remember correctly the estate was most likely nick named pheonix way or close or something like that as it was said the hospital had rose from the ashes...those houses have recently been demolished..

lyn

https://maps.nls.uk/geo/explore/#zoom=16&lat=52.5395&lon=-1.8734&layers=10&b=1
 
Yes Lyn. that was the one. Should note though that there apparently were once two witton isolation hospitals (see map c 1904 below), the other being where the Perry common library is now (if it hasn't been closed!!)

map c 1904 showing two isolation hospitals at Witton.jpg
 
Yes, the one they burn was where Roedean and Dean Close are now. The one by the library is now (or was ) Hawthorn Road School. My dad went to this school and said he thought it was a old converted hospital.
 
I actually live on the other side of the College Road which is Perry Common, and the Isolation Hospital was in Kingstanding. When I was a child occasionally went to the Mayfair cinema, and living in Cranbourne Road walked through two gullies to get to it. One was by Warren Farm clinic which still exists, and the other between the Isolation Hospital, and the side of the Mayfair Cinema.
I do believe the estate which exists now was built on that land however, Aldi have a big store now somewhere by where the old cinema was, if so shops were built on the isolation grounds.
 
I walked that way many times Dianne, we used to go to the Mayfair Saturday afternoon matinees (Gene Autry, Roy Rogers, and Flash Gordon) as children and later when courting........but I'm older than you ;)
 
Eric not sure you are older than me. I also remember the Saturday the matinees.
Interestingly when I walked through the gully between the isolation hospital and the cinema used to hold my breath for as long as I could if memory serves me correctly.
However, in the 70's did a couple of nights for a few years on the infectious disease ward at what was then called East Birmingham. You needed to hold your breath at times then even behind the mask.:)
 
:):) I was born 1935 Diane. I went to Cranbourne Road school and lived in Hurlingham Road so just round the corner from you.
 
Eric I lived at 125 Cranbourne road. Our house was directly opposite to Tansley Road. Perks was my maiden name.
 
Diane1947 said:
I actually live on the other side of the College Road which is Perry Common, and the Isolation Hospital was in Kingstanding. When I was a child occasionally went to the Mayfair cinema, and living in Cranbourne Road walked through two gullies to get to it. One was by Warren Farm clinic which still exists, and the other between the Isolation Hospital, and the side of the Mayfair Cinema.
I do believe the estate which exists now was built on that land however, Aldi have a big store now somewhere by where the old cinema was, if so shops were built on the isolation grounds
Click to expand...
Diane1947 said:
I actually live on the other side of the College Road which is Perry Common, and the Isolation Hospital was in Kingstanding. When I was a child occasionally went to the Mayfair cinema, and living in Cranbourne Road walked through two gullies to get to it. One was by Warren Farm clinic which still exists, and the other between the Isolation Hospital, and the side of the Mayfair Cinema.
I do believe the estate which exists now was built on that land however, Aldi have a big store now somewhere by where the old cinema was, if so shops were built on the isolation grounds.
Click to expand...
Aldi is where Land Rover Services was. Just down is the old Mayfair Cinema: shops now but the sign is still there - 482. Take a look. The old Isolation Hospital (burned by firemen) is where sheltered bungalows are now between Dean Close and Roedean. The fire station looks fairly new & meant to be haunted. I wonder if this was the second Isolation Hospital and not Perry Common Library which looks much older.
 
I have a memory of what I thought was the TB hospital being burnt down purposely as TB had more or less been eradicated then - I was at Marsh Hill Girls senior school and we could see the smoke from the playing field behind the school.
I can't remember what year that would have been but very likely 1967 - would that have been the place of this thread title?
 
Both hospitals were built before around 1900, and can be seen on Mike’s post 12. The first hospital gave way for the building of both the library and the fire station around 1933. The second hospital lasted until 1967 and the destruction can be seen on Morturn’s post 9.

Never heard anything before about the fire station being haunted.
 
Not in my back yard.

In 1883 there was a meeting at Upper Thomas Street school, Aston, to protest against the erection of a small pox hospital in Aston Road. There had been negotiations with the Rural Sanitary Authority at Erdington, but they had broken down.

Some suggested the hospital should be built next to the Local Board Offices where there was not the aspect “of a dead wall, cat and dog piled up canal, with a dung wharf thrown in for extra flavour.”
 
keithdawson said:
Aldi is where Land Rover Services was. Just down is the old Mayfair Cinema: shops now but the sign is still there - 482. Take a look. The old Isolation Hospital (burned by firemen) is where sheltered bungalows are now between Dean Close and Roedean. The fire station looks fairly new & meant to be haunted. I wonder if this was the second Isolation Hospital and not Perry Common Library which looks much older.
Click to expand...
A Sparks said:
I have a memory of what I thought was the TB hospital being burnt down purposely as TB had more or less been eradicated then - I was at Marsh Hill Girls senior school and we could see the smoke from the playing field behind the school.
I can't remember what year that would have been but very likely 1967 - would that have been the place of this thread title?
Click to expand...
In 1967, I was at Greenholm Primary School. We all watched the smoke.
Later, I went to Marsh Hill boys' (Grammar, Technical School). It became just Marsh Hill School when I was in the 4th Year. The Staff Room was in the old boys' school (South building). The Head was in the old girls' school (North building). I can't remember who was in the old boys' school Head's Study, Deputy Head, I think. When it became Josiah Mason College, a link was built between "what used to be the two chemistry labs". At that point, the field behind the two schools was lost, as the access between the two schools no longer existed. There was no way to get to the field behind. Since Josiah Mason College closed, both of our schools have been demolished - sad.
 
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keithdawson said:
Aldi is where Land Rover Services was. Just down is the old Mayfair Cinema: shops now but the sign is still there - 482. Take a look. The old Isolation Hospital (burned by
keithdawson said:
Aldi is where Land Rover Services was. Just down is the old Mayfair Cinema: shops now but the sign is still there - 482. Take a look. The old Isolation Hospital (burned by firemen) is where sheltered bungalows are now between Dean Close and Roedean. The fire station looks fairly new & meant to be haunted. I wonder if this was the second Isolation Hospital and not Perry Common Library which looks much older.
Click to expand...
Kevin

firemen) is where sheltered bungalows are now between Dean Close and Roedean. The fire station looks fairly new & meant to be haunted. I wonder if this was the second Isolation Hospital and not Perry Common Library which looks much older.
Click to expand...
keithdawson said:
Aldi is where Land Rover Services was. Just down is the old Mayfair Cinema: shops now but the sign is still there - 482. Take a look. The old Isolation Hospital (burned by firemen) is where sheltered bungalows are now between Dean Close and Roedean. The fire station looks fairly new & meant to be haunted. I wonder if this was the second Isolation Hospital and not Perry Common Library which looks much older.
Click to expand...
Th
keithdawson said:
Aldi is where Land Rover Services was. Just down is the old Mayfair Cinema: shops now but the sign is still there - 482. Take a look. The old Isolation Hospital (burned by firemen) is where sheltered bungalows are now between Dean Close and Roedean. The fire station looks fairly new & meant to be haunted. I wonder if this was the second Isolation Hospital and not Perry Common Library which looks much older.
Click to expand...
Kevin I actually always thought Aidi was built on the site of the old Mayfair Cinema, but I see now its where the shops are after Aldi
Cannot place the passage way I used to walk through is it around Sunny bank and the Rugby club ground or was that part of the isolation hospital?
Did not realise either that there was another isolation hospital in Perry Common or if splitting hairs Kingstanding.
 
This is the passage we used to walk down on the way to the Mayfair. It's out the back of Wimpole Grove, off Plumstead Road.Ashampoo_Snap_2019.11.14_16h08m52s_001_.png
 
And here's the other end on College Road, behind the bus shelter. The area to the left was where the Mayfair was and to the right the Isolation Hospital.Ashampoo_Snap_2019.11.14_16h15m13s_002_.png
 
In May 1885 the opening of the new hospital. Note that it is being described as Upper Witton fronting the road from Perry Barr to Oscott, and about 200 yards from the NE corner of the cemetery.

The land was purchased from the Honourable ACG Calthorpe.

8B1A3825-2DDB-416F-9BE0-2DE1F91D45B5.jpeg
 
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