Thank you Brenda, this is interesting. I have my adoption proceedings record, which states that I was at Hope Lodge and the dates, but there is no information other than that about my first three months. My mother told me a few details of what her experience was like in 1948. She was kept in a separate room from me as interaction between mother and baby was discouraged except for feeding, which my mother was unable to do due to a medical condition. The mothers were given work, I believe and once a week had to attend a religious service (Church of England, I imagine) in which she said they were chastised and warned not to think of keeping the baby, but instead giving the baby up so it can have a good life with two parents. They were allowed out to shop and go to the pictures. My mother told me more than once she thought about taking me and running away, but knew this would not be the best thing for me. She told me at the time of my being chosen (and subsequently adopted), by my adoptive parents that one of the staff came into her room and said, "You can leave now, the baby's gone." She said she never got the chance to say goodbye to me. I don't think the mothers were badly treated, and I am sure they were given some kind of support and advice, but it must have been so very difficult for them. That time period (and earlier, as some of the previous posts talk about) were not likely to be easy times for single mothers. I hope this helps others know a little bit more. As said, Hope Lodge on Clarendon Road in Edgbaston is now Magdalene Court with apartments that sometimes come up for sale. I have visited the building which looks much nicer than it would have looked before, with nicely kept lawns. Occasionally I check the estate office photos online for a unit that is for sale, out of curiosity. Although they look very different, you can imagine mothers looking out of the same or similar windows and what it must have looked like inside then.
