Hello, I wonder if anyone might be able to tell me if there were any large houses employing gardeners and staff around 1934, please? I have just found out that my Grandparents met whilst both working at a big house in Birmingham but I HAVE NO IDEA where to start searching, any help would be appreciated. Thank you. CHINCH.
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Gladys Newton (nee-Woodbridge)
- Thread starter CHINCH
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i would think there were many large houses back then employing staff chinch so it could be hard to find out exactly which one your grandparents worked at...think the only way would be if they were live in staff you could maybe then find them on the electoral rolls which you will find on ancestry but it would be a long shot..what were their names and when were they born as i think you had to be 21 then to appear on the e rolls..
lyn
lyn
There were a lot of houses employing domestic staff in Birmingham, in fact my house still has its servant’s bells and quarters on the top floor. I live in Moseley and there were lots of other houses in the area that did the same. The house opposite me was left to the housekeeper who still lives there today. She told us all about her life in service.
I worked in the construction industry for many years in and around Spark Hill Sparkbrook, Small heath and Balsal Heath etc. We were always coming across the remains of domestic employment, old servants bell wires, hidden staircases and scullery’s.
I did once find an old newspaper in one such house dated around 1895, it was full of advertisements for domestic staff, so I suggest you may start your search there in the news paper archives.
I worked in the construction industry for many years in and around Spark Hill Sparkbrook, Small heath and Balsal Heath etc. We were always coming across the remains of domestic employment, old servants bell wires, hidden staircases and scullery’s.
I did once find an old newspaper in one such house dated around 1895, it was full of advertisements for domestic staff, so I suggest you may start your search there in the news paper archives.
My dad was an electrician nearly all his working life, and I can remember him telling us tales of when he wired up houses before the War. From what I recall, he worked on plenty of large houses in and around Brum; in many cases, according to what he said, installing electricity for the first time. He had a tale of how, on one occasion, he arrived at a mansion somewhere in Birmingham and he and his mate were constantly watched by the butler (!) in case they departed with the family silver or something. Dad said that if he'd had the bottle he'd have wired up the butler too.....
.....so I don't think large houses with a permanent staff were all that rare even in the 1930's.
I think I could cope quite well with a few live-in servants ready to pander to my every whim....
G
.....so I don't think large houses with a permanent staff were all that rare even in the 1930's.
I think I could cope quite well with a few live-in servants ready to pander to my every whim....
G
Thank you all for your replies. I think maybe , it might well be a long shot to find them if these type of homes were so common. Gladys Woodbridge, (Grandmother) was born in 1915 and she met my Grandfather, Edward Albert Newton , b.1912, apparently at the house where they both worked . They married in Solihull in 1935 and lived in Birmingham all of their lives. I know they lived in Highfield Road with Ted's parents and later in Dawberry Fields Road, Kings Heath. Ted died aged just 50 and Gladys lived in the flats in Grove Road, Kings Heath until she died in 1987. As she never spoke of her life the fact that she worked in this house has been news to me. She worked at the Sorrento Hospital for some time too. I wonder if she did live in the house where she worked ? Gladys was born in Colnbrook, Buckingham to an unmarried Mother and I don't know how she came to be in Brum. I have asked for help regarding this on other threads. Perhaps she gained employment there after leaving a children's home. Clutching at straws, I know.
I don't think I would like servants in my home. Too much gossiping and I think once they had cleaned I would have to do it again to make sure it was done to my standards!!!!!
Thank you all again. CHINCH.
I don't think I would like servants in my home. Too much gossiping and I think once they had cleaned I would have to do it again to make sure it was done to my standards!!!!!
Thank you all again. CHINCH.
Do you know what your mom was doing as a job at the Sorrento Hospital?
A lot of girls who were training to be nurses would go into service as a way of finding accommodation and funding their life.
I do know that in the early twentieth century, it was hard to find domestic help because Birmingham was a highly-industrialised town, so the jobs in factory’s were far better pay for women.
A lot of girls who were training to be nurses would go into service as a way of finding accommodation and funding their life.
I do know that in the early twentieth century, it was hard to find domestic help because Birmingham was a highly-industrialised town, so the jobs in factory’s were far better pay for women.
Hi Morturn, yes my Grandmother was working with premature babies as far as I know. I think this may have been after her earlier time at the house where she met my Grandfather. I wondered if she may have been in a children's home and possibly trained there to go into service and yes this would have given her accommodation too. I have posted some of the verses found in her autograph book dated from 1930-1934 in the Marston Green thread and this is why I think she was in care . I am assuming that she would have been prepared for this kind of life in a home for girls. I just don't know where this was. I have been trying to look at the register for the children of such homes but they are closed for 100 years. I have asked for a search at the library so am keeping my fingers crossed for some answers eventually. Thanks , Morturn. CHINCH
Highfield Road is just around the corner from the Sorrento Hospital, not too far from me either. It has the kind of houses that would have domestic staff, so we may be going in the right direction here.
I am assuming you know that the Sorrento Hospital was a maternity hospital, I am told it had a great reputation too.
I am assuming you know that the Sorrento Hospital was a maternity hospital, I am told it had a great reputation too.
As I'm not from Birmingham I had no idea. That does sound promising. I have read about Sorrento Hospital. I know it was the first to have a "milk bank" and from what I've read was a good place to have your child. I think I will have to have a look around Moseley to get a feel for the place. Was there a house in particular which was grand and had staff do you know? I had thought she might have worked at Aston Hall but that was the only large house I could think of in Birmingham. Thanks so much for your help, Morturn. CHINCH.
In all fairness, most of those houses in the vicinity would have had domestic staff.
The time your mom was there was way past the Victorian era, however the culture still hung on in there. Previously, it was only nobility that had servants or domestic staff until the industrial revolution came along.
With this new ‘nouveau riche’ they created a culture that separated them from the other. As a way of acting out their nobility aspirations. A lot of only relatively better off families employed domestic staff as a status symbol; some making very extreme money saving exercise to appear richer than what they were.
The consequence of this is, that there were hundreds of households who employed domestic staff. I have seen evidence of it in relatively small three and four bedroomed houses. There were hundreds of them around Moseley and surrounding area.
Just as the industrial revolution made people wealthy, it also made skilled working people better off too, so they too moved away from domestic service into better paid skill jobs.
The time your mom was there was way past the Victorian era, however the culture still hung on in there. Previously, it was only nobility that had servants or domestic staff until the industrial revolution came along.
With this new ‘nouveau riche’ they created a culture that separated them from the other. As a way of acting out their nobility aspirations. A lot of only relatively better off families employed domestic staff as a status symbol; some making very extreme money saving exercise to appear richer than what they were.
The consequence of this is, that there were hundreds of households who employed domestic staff. I have seen evidence of it in relatively small three and four bedroomed houses. There were hundreds of them around Moseley and surrounding area.
Just as the industrial revolution made people wealthy, it also made skilled working people better off too, so they too moved away from domestic service into better paid skill jobs.
Not much changes over the years does it, still keeping up with the Jones'! I think I'll probably need a bit of luck in my search. Maybe someone out there somewhere will have the answers and something will turn up out of the blue. Sounds like Moseley is quite an affluent area still. I will definitely have to have a drive up. Thanks. CHINCH.
Hi guys
I hope you will all forgive in asking the question what chinch is looking for i beleive is Highfield road
He said could some one just tell me where about the road is from the hospital
is it just off wake green road or what from mosely village its self, i just cannot just place it right now
I know moseley for years and from time to time i go up the wake green road towards moseley road
quite often , and the more to the point i should know it because i used to because i used to reposess the houses in and a
That area up until the eightys for a certain estates agents within moseley village
i even done dawbery fields kings heath years ago and a couple around the cricket grounds
As we all know it was full of extreme largehouse from that early years even up till today they still excist
best wishes Astonian,,,,
I hope you will all forgive in asking the question what chinch is looking for i beleive is Highfield road
He said could some one just tell me where about the road is from the hospital
is it just off wake green road or what from mosely village its self, i just cannot just place it right now
I know moseley for years and from time to time i go up the wake green road towards moseley road
quite often , and the more to the point i should know it because i used to because i used to reposess the houses in and a
That area up until the eightys for a certain estates agents within moseley village
i even done dawbery fields kings heath years ago and a couple around the cricket grounds
As we all know it was full of extreme largehouse from that early years even up till today they still excist
best wishes Astonian,,,,
Sorrento was on the corner of Wake Green Road and Anderton Park Road. You can see Highfield Road to the upper right. Most of the large houses in Highfield have gone now.
There is an item on Colin Bakers' website here https://www.bhamb14.co.uk/index_files/SORRENTOMATERNITYHOSPITAL.htm
Hi Morturn , have just seen the map on your previous post, could have done with that today. Took a trip up to Kings Heath and walked around Kings Heath Park and the flats where my Grandmother used to live. Wow it's changed. Still, it brought back many memories. The park has changed too. I was looking for the cages with the birds and animals but couldn't find it and ended up asking someone who told us they were no longer there. I had begun to think I had imagined it. I think there used to be a crazy golf there too but couldn't see that either. I vaguely remember the gardening programme which came from the park and my Grandmother was there in the background during one of the shows! Travelled on to Moseley but stayed on the main road as we didn't know the area and THAT TRAFFIC! Couldn't find Highfield Road but now I've seen your map we are going to go back and take another look. Moseley looks quite a bustling village, plenty of pubs/restaurants. I see what you mean about the houses . I did manage to find Dawberry Fields Road though so not a wasted day. Thanks. CHINCH