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Highcroft Hall Aston Union Workhouse Erdington House

  • Thread starter Thread starter elizabeth
  • Start date Start date
Vivienne14 said:
The site in 1950, it was enormous ! Some early buildings seem to still be there today, but it looks like there's been substantial new housing development in recent times and many of the older buildings seem to have gone

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Source : British Newspaper Archive

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The old Highcroft hospital was mostly demolished in 1996 and new apartments were built upon the site in the 2000's, I think. The mental health service facility (Northcroft) was moved to modern buildings which are off Reservoir Road.
 
ts been a while since I last posted to remind members that there are still copies available of
HIGHCROFT: FROM WORKHOUSE TO MODERN MENTAL HEALTH SERVICE ; published by Highcroft History Group, 2001. Preface by Prof.Carl Chinn
68 pages, A4 bound with photos, maps, several illustrations and wonderfully referenced by the editor the late Mike Hinson; describes life in the original workhouse, through the wars to founding NHS, and the progress made in mental health services up to the Millennium.
Copies available via [email protected], £10 inc UK 2nd class postage. Proceeds go to the charitable trust funds of Birmingham & Solihull Mental Health NHS .
 
My husband's Grandfather died 30 January 1933 at 18 Highcroft Road, (Highcroft Hall Hospital). His death certificate gives his home address as Asquith Road Ward End. Cause of death Pulmonary Congestion and Cardio Vascular. About ten years ago I wrote The Archivist for Highcroft Hall. Unfortunately I cannot now find the reply. If memory serves me correctly, her reply stated that the Hospital at the time had several 'cottages' which were for the use of terminal patients much like today's nursing homes I gather. If any records survive, they would possibly have been deposited with Birmingham Archives but would be closed due to the 100 year rule.
 
Morturn said:
Highcroft hospital had a geriatric ward, it did treat people who did not have psychiatric disorders. My grandfather died there after suffering several strokes. Does it mention cancer on the death certificate? Myocarditis is inflammation of the heart.
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Thank you. My grandmother was 46 when she died, so not geriatric. No mention of cancer on the death certificate but I did read that myocarditis was often caused by anti-psychotic drugs. She was in a lot of pain, I guess, so maybe this impacted her mental health.
 
Julian Cleaver said:
ts been a while since I last posted to remind members that there are still copies available of
HIGHCROFT: FROM WORKHOUSE TO MODERN MENTAL HEALTH SERVICE ; published by Highcroft History Group, 2001. Preface by Prof.Carl Chinn
68 pages, A4 bound with photos, maps, several illustrations and wonderfully referenced by the editor the late Mike Hinson; describes life in the original workhouse, through the wars to founding NHS, and the progress made in mental health services up to the Millennium.
Copies available via [email protected], £10 inc UK 2nd class postage. Proceeds go to the charitable trust funds of Birmingham & Solihull Mental Health NHS .
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Do you still have copies to buy, Julian? Thanks.
 
although not for the specific dates in the title of this thread we do have an extensive thread for highcroft which some may find interesting...click on link below


ERDINGTON ALMSHOUSES/WORKHOUSE/HIGHCROFT HOSPITAL

edit there is another thread here about the hospital during the period 1936 - 1950 https://birminghamhistory.co.uk/forum/index.php?threads/highcroft-hall-erdington-circa-1936-to-1950.49668/ ------ hi folk cant find a thread...
birminghamhistory.co.uk birminghamhistory.co.uk
 
dawnaur said:
Do you still have copies to buy, Julian? Thanks.
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DAWN, So sorry for the delay in replying, i did not receive an alert! Yes I just sold a copy this week to an employee of the Trust. My earlier post of 10 May 2022 shows a pic. Please just e mail me as above; then its either a cheque or a bank transfer for a Tenner if you are UK postal. I will post it large letter as its A4 size. Best wishes Julian C.
 
Emmie Germishuys said:
What a shame...., but at least I know that it will never be possible to find the records of my Grandmother Lillian (Harris) Smith - the 2nd wife of the Birmingham Boxer , Len Tiger Smith (Leonard Horace Smith).

At least, after searching for Lillian Smith all our lives, we have managed to find her having been admitted to Highcroft Hall for post-natal depression in 1937 when her daughter was only 2 and half year old and my Grandfather Len Smith removing my Mother from Lillian and starting a new life with his mistress Mona Medins Primrose Jones in South Africa.

Len and Mona had a son (Graham Jones Smith) born in 1939 and lived in South Africa till Mona's death in 1972 as well as their son Graham's death - also in 1972, never to inform my mother Mary Elizabeth Smith (Betty Volschenk) about Lillian's whereabouts. Len returned to the UK after their deaths and he died in Erdington in 1978 without making contact with his daughter Betty and his 6 grandchildren in South Africa ever again....

It was quite obvious that none of Len's family members, whom we made contact with since internet, refused to inform us - "nobody ever new nor heard anything!!!", but with the help of Wendy Horn and her family, we tracked her to Highcroft Hall Hopital where she was left to spend the rest of her life from 1937, after being moved to Kingfisher when Highcroft was sold - until she turned 81 years old where she died.

Lillian has 5 grandchildren in South Africa (my brother Jacobus died in 1987) and 14 Great Grandchildren as well as 14 Great-Great grandchildren - HAD WE KNOWN WHERE SHE WAS WHILE SHE WAS STILL ALIVE, IT WOULD HAVE BEEN SUCH AN HONOUR FOR US TO HAVE FETCHED HER AND GIVEN HER THE LIFE SHE DESERVED WITH US - PITY THE FAMILY IN THE UK FELT EMBARRASSED TO TELL US WHERE TO FIND HER, NOTWITHSTANDING OUR DESPARATE BEGGING FOR INFORMATION!!!

During 1951 my Mother (Mary Elizabeth Smith - Volschenk, travelled all the way from SA to the UK to try and find her Mother, with Mona Jones and Graham by her side, but the family still maintained that they had "NO CLUE" of her whereabouts - Mom returned to SA, SHATTERED, and spent all these years wondering what could have happened to her dear Mother....


Well, my Mom Mary Elizabeth Smith-Volschenk is now nearly 79 years old - and only now found out what the true story was - that Len's Lady was put away in order that Len could live with his mistress in South Africa without having any trouble of a wife giving him a hard time..... at least Mona Medins Primrose was a good mother to my Mom but she knew Len was a married man with a child.... what a way to start a new life - easy way to get the wife out of the way - just have her admitted.???.

Lillian, may your soul rest in peace - we may never have met you, but we lived our lives with you in our hearts and will love you ALWAYS xxxxxxxxx ,
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Hi do you know if this Lillian smith lived in Beale buildings frank street 1961? And had a daughter named Margaret Ruth smith who was adopted in 1962? Many thanks xx
 
Astoness said:
hi colin..wonder if you clear something up for me please..i have read up on highcroft hall hospital and the book says that after the introduction of the national health service in 1948 this is when it became known as highcroft hall hospital...thing is i have a family birth cert here saying date of birth 3.8.1947..where born 18 highcroft road at highcroft hall hospital so it was called that before 1948..the mother lived a stones throw from dudley road hospital so is it possable that at this time she was suffering from mental health problems...and i am right in thinking it used to be a workhouse...i have done a street walk and i think that highcroft hall hospital is still there??

thanks for any help

lyn
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I was born may 1947 in what was Erdington Hospital ( Highcroft ) lived all my life in Erdington went to School in Bracebridge road
Infant ..Junior and Senior we were the last Seniors must have been around 1962 /63..
 
Hello again Highcroft History Fans; just to say that the book Highcroft: FROM VICTORIAN WORKHOUSE TO MODERN MENTAL HEALTH SERVICE ed. MIKE HINSON is still available Preface by Dr Carl Chinn, this A4 sized book 68 pages,colour pics on cover, loads of photos.
Price reduced to a Fiver, plus 2nd class Uk postage etc as large letter £3.50. Lots of detailed history.
Please email me on [email protected] then bank transfer or cheque once you receive the book. Any proceeds I forward to Trust charitable funds. Best wishes, Julian C , former employee and member of the contemporary Highcroft History Group 1999-2002.
 
Six threads have been merged into this one.

References to the name 'Erdington House' seem to start in the 1900s (from at least 1914), and it continues to be known as Erdington House until at least 1942. For those reseaching Erdington House the address is usually given as 'Highcroft Road,' but there are earlier references to Highcroft Road having once been 'Union Road' (- pre 1932).


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Source: British Newspaper Archive
 
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