• Welcome to this forum . We are a worldwide group with a common interest in Birmingham and its history. While here, please follow a few simple rules. We ask that you respect other members, thank those who have helped you and please keep your contributions on-topic with the thread.

    We do hope you enjoy your visit. BHF Admin Team
  • HI folks the server that hosts the site completely died including the Hdd's and backups.
    Luckily i create an offsite backup once a week! this has now been restored so we have lost a few days posts.
    im still fixing things at the moment so bear with me and im still working on all images 90% are fine the others im working on now
    we are now using a backup solution

Womens Hospital History and development

I don't know Lyn, I'll have to ask my mother when I speak to her next - but thanks.

Edit to add; I spoke to Mom at the weekend, she thinks his name was Francis John Hopkins.
 
Last edited:
Can anyone help? I am researching the Birmingham cytology training school set up in the 1960s which I believe was at the Women’s Hospital.

In particular, I am researching a rare piece of equipment used in the 1960s in automated cervical screening and I know there was one in Birmingham. The Vickers 'Autotape' apparatus. I am also interested in the training of cyto technicians in those early days of screening…
 
Chris Gowing said:
Can anyone help? I am researching the Birmingham cytology training school set up in the 1960s which I believe was at the Women’s Hospital.

In particular, I am researching a rare piece of equipment used in the 1960s in automated cervical screening and I know there was one in Birmingham. The Vickers 'Autotape' apparatus. I am also interested in the training of cyto technicians in those early days of screening…
Click to expand...


Only just seen this...I ran the Cytology Training School at the Matty since 1968 when it opened! Before that we were down the Drive in the Research block from 1960.....we got our Training School status in 1963....worked with Dr Di Rimmer on the accursed Vickers Machine for some time....and others like it much later....can I be of help now still?


PHOT Space Dept Machine.jpgVickers Schematic.jpgAutomationBMH Style.jpg
 
Dennis Williams said:
Only just seen this...I ran the Cytology Training School at the Matty since 1968 when it opened! Before that we were down the Drive in the Research block from 1960.....
Dennis Williams said:
Only just seen this...I ran the Cytology Training School at the Matty since 1968 when it opened! Before that we were down the Drive in the Research block from 1960.....we got our Training School status in 1963....worked with Dr Di Rimmer on the accursed Vickers Machine for some time....and others like it much later....can I be of help now still?
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
Dennis Williams said:
In 1868 and 1869 Mr Ross Jordan and three friends - Drs George Jones, James Neale, and the delightfully named Lumbley Earle – became convinced of the necessity for a hospital to be entirely devoted to the alleviation of conditions and ailments peculiar to women. The effort was at first unsuccessful but undaunted, Mr Ross Jordan successfully enlisted the interest of Mr Arthur Chamberlain, who undertook the duties of Honorable Secretary. With the aid and support of a number of his friends, among others being Mr Joseph Chamberlain (naturally), Dr Heslop, George Dawson (of course), Arthur Ryland, Charles Vince, Dr Samuel Berry, and Joseph Nettlefold (inevitably) in 1871 the Birmingham and Midland Hospital for Women became an accomplished fact.

No 8, The Crescent, a large House near the municipal centre of Birmingham, was bought and adapted to accommodate out-patients, and an in-patient department of eight beds. It was next door to the recently opened Training School for Nurses. In the following year, No 7 The Crescent was also bought and in 1876, three small wards were built in the garden at the rear. More to follow...



View attachment 81488 View attachment 81487 View attachment 81490 View attachment 81489
Click to expand...
Hi Dennis
I work at the ‘new’ (ageing, decrepit and underinvested) Women’s Hospital opened in 1968. I was unaware it was called the Maternity Hospital at the time, and nobody seems to know (or care) much about the history of the current place. Would you care to share any recollections (the original building has been extended several times since you started there, of course)?

I am particularly interested to know whether the Norton Court residential buildings next to the hospital (which are currently being demolished) were there at the time or when they were built- and what their purpose was at the time? I have been in when it was a functional space- truly an eyesore inside and out, and I for one am glad it is gone, but would be keen to know about that complex too as there doesn’t seem to be anything online.
 
Well yes...Norton Court was built same time as new Matty ..1968...it just housed Nurses, Docs and other workers...no other admin or medical uses....it gradually adopted some Hospital functions, but not many that I can recall...I left in 1997.....hope this helps....
 
When I worked there Norton Court gradually moved from being predominately residential to probably 50 - 50 office space housing amongst others: finance; Women's and Children's NHS Supplies; facilities directorate management; Medical Physics and probably others I can't recall. I haven't been down there for some time now and didn't realise it was being demolished!
 
Dennis Williams said:
Well yes...Norton Court was built same time as new Matty ..1968...it just housed Nurses, Docs and other workers...no other admin or medical uses....it gradually adopted some Hospital functions, but not many that I can recall...I left in 1997.....hope this helps....
Click to expand...
Cheers Dennis. It wasn't the most inspirational building, but must have seen its share of history.
 
JonnyH said:
When I worked there Norton Court gradually moved from being predominately residential to probably 50 - 50 office space housing amongst others: finance; Women's and Children's NHS Supplies; facilities directorate management; Medical Physics and probably others I can't recall. I haven't been down there for some time now and didn't realise it was being demolished!
Click to expand...
Cheers Jonny. Yes, they started demolishing the building a few months ago and almost all of its 5 blocks are now gone. As I understand, it came down a lot quicker than expected as the build quality was very poor! I believe from internal staff communications we receive it will be completely levelled in about a month or two from now.
 
@Dennis Williams
Dennis Williams said:
Well yes...Norton Court was built same time as new Matty ..1968...it just housed Nurses, Docs and other workers...no other admin or medical uses....it gradually adopted some Hospital functions, but not many that I can recall...I left in 1997.....hope this helps....
Click to expand...
Hi Dennis, do you have any books/websites that gives more information about Norton Court at Birmingham Women's Hospital 1968? Or can you answer these questions below from your experience please?

1) Year it was built - 1968
2) Cost
3) Any unique selling points of the building back then, was it state of the art, what was so great about it?!
4) Purpose of original building and who moved in
5) How the building use changed over time and when
 
There is no way such a hideous structure could ever have been considered state of the art, even by the limited architectural aesthetic standards of the era, or in any way attractive (which anyone who has been in there may agree with). It looks like a ‘rush job’ that was put up for a very functional purpose of accommodation. Doesn’t the hospital have records of this? The regional genetics team was based there around the time I got there about ten years ago, and as others have mentioned on the thread various other admin functions as well, probably as they ran out of space in the main building and ran out of space for new buildings also.
 
Can anyone help, I was born in Bearwood 1957 but my birth certificate states South Road hospital and I cannot find any record of this building, if anyone can help?
 
Hi Yvonne, it was a nursing home in South Road Smethwick, very near Holy Trinity Church. My brother was born there even though mother lived in Birmingham. I think the building is still there but used for something else. Many of the buildings on that road are original so maybe you will spot it on a Google Map.
rosie.
 
rosie said:
Hi Yvonne, it was a nursing home in South Road Smethwick, very near Holy Trinity Church. My brother was born there even though mother lived in Birmingham. I think the building is still there but used for something else. Many of the buildings on that road are original so maybe you will spot it on a Google Map.
rosie.
Click to expand...
Hi

So appreciate the reply. I was looking at old lists of hospitals, searching for the road and it became such a mystery, I will look on google now. I emailed my brother in USA as he was born in St Chads but it was always odd that I could not find any info re mine. Thank you.
 
Before I left England for the USA My Mother (God Bless her) had been in and out of the Women's Hospital. of course in typical English fashion, but no one talked about it. But I found out later when she passed away that she had some real medical problems, Had I known this I would never have left her and Brum.
 
Operating Theatre at the Women's Hospital, Showell Green Lane, 1936.

Health care in Birmingham : the Birmingham teaching hospitals 1779-1939
by Reinarz, Jonathon (2009)


3786FD77-47EB-4D77-9927-CACDDB836683.jpeg
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top