Southfield Maternity Home, Bowden

[chirp]

Can anybody tell me anything about Southfield Maternity Home at Bowden?
I suspect it may have been some other medical establishment and used as a maternity home during WW2. Do the records still exist? The Hosprec site did not help with the records.
Chirp

[LizzieW]

Hi Chirp

It was a Maternity Home and was a beautiful detached house standing in its own grounds.  It closed down many years ago and I believe has now been divided into luxury flats.

My eldest brother was born there in 1942, so it was definitely open during the war.  My youngest brother was born there in 1953 and four of my children were born there in 1962, 1964, 1967 and 1968.  When my children were born there the Matron was an Irish midwife called Miss Baines and sometimes, she would have nuns working there, but it was nothing to do with the Catholic church, it was NHS run.  I doubt any records exist, but you could try writing to:

Trafford Healthcare NHS Trust,
Trafford General Hospital,
Moorside Road,
Urmston,
Manchester,
Greater Manchester,
M41 5SL

I would think that the records might have been transferred to the Trust, although Southfields closed before Trafford Healthcare Trust came into being.  If they haven't got any records, they may know where they are.

Lizzie
 

[chirp]

Hi Lizzie
Thank you very much for your helpful reply. I will write to Trafford HCT as you suggest.
Chirp

[Jane Harland]

I was born there in 1957 and as far as I can remember my sister was born there (1963) and my brother (1965). Don't know when it closed down, that's something I'm currently investigating.

[stitchwitch]

Hi Folks

I've just found out that my elder brother was born at Southfield in April 1958. I now need to progress to find out what (if any) records are extant and how to access them.Time's becoming a bit of the essence, so if anyone has found out anything useful from the NHS Trust or anywhere else since this thread started would you mind terribly letting me know? I live some distance outside the area (although I was born at Davenham) and so would be deeply grateful of any help you could lend to me and my poor old dotty Mum.

Many thanks
Stitchwitch

[LizzieW]

Hi Stitchwitch and welcome to Rootschat.  I quote below my comment from 2008, this is the best I (or I expect) anyone else can do to help you.

It was a Maternity Home and was a beautiful detached house standing in its own grounds.  It closed down many years ago and I believe has now been divided into luxury flats.

My eldest brother was born there in 1942, so it was definitely open during the war.  My youngest brother was born there in 1953 and four of my children were born there in 1962, 1964, 1967 and 1968.  When my children were born there the Matron was an Irish midwife called Miss Baines and sometimes, she would have nuns working there, but it was nothing to do with the Catholic church, it was NHS run.  I doubt any records exist, but you could try writing to:

Trafford Healthcare NHS Trust,
Trafford General Hospital,
Moorside Road,
Urmston,
Manchester,
Greater Manchester,
M41 5SL

I would think that the records might have been transferred to the Trust, although Southfields closed before Trafford Healthcare Trust came into being.  If they haven't got any records, they may know where they are.

Lizzie

[stitchwitch]

Many thanks for that and for your speedy response, Lizzy. Unfortunately, since 2008, Trafford hospitals have been merged into a much larger Trust for the whole of Manchester. Hence my asking if anyone had any more recent information while I started blundering about in ever increasing circles.

To clarify:
I live about 90 miles from Bowden.
Mum has dementia and lives 60 miles from me.
My brother was stillborn and Mum is desperate to know how and where his remains were disposed of.

Please, if anyone out there has any knowledge of Southfield in particular and Bowden in general I would love to hear from you. Anything I manage to turn up on my own will, naturally, be shared here.

Thanks again, Lizzie, for your speedy response.
Stitchwitch

[LizzieW]

Hi stitchwith

My mother had a stillborn in 1951/2 (I can't be sure exactly which because I was only young myself but she did have another baby in June 1953) and we never saw the baby.  It was born at home and taken away by the GP.  I think that was a common occurrence then, parents of stillbirths rarely organised the burials themselves, the babies were usually buried in a coffin with an adult - and I doubt the family of the adult knew about it either.  In fact that was still happening when I started training as a midwife in the early 1970s.  It was only much later, that parents were given the stillbirth to cuddle and dress, and organised the burials themselves.  In the 1950s you were just expected to forget the baby and get on with your life.

Lizzie

[stitchwitch]

Hi Lizzie

Yes, I suspected that was still the practise in 1958,but am appalled to discover it was still going on as late as the 70s. Thanks so much for your insight; it must have been a difficult thing to condone even if it was the norm at the time.

I was brought up knowing about my brother - Mum certainly has never forgotten him even now. It's just me and Mum and it's still bothering her after almost 60 years, so he's going on the family tree exactly where he should be, beside his sisters. Anything else I can turn up is just for us even though I'm not over-optimistic. I've pm'd you separately.

Best
Stitchwitch