Maternity Hospital in Blackpool

[Mcglas]

I have recently started researching my wife's family and have been trying to find information on her grandmother, Elizabeth Ann Pugh (1916-1999, married name Davies) and know that she qualified as a nurse in St Helens between 1933 and 1936.

On the 1939 Register I have found her living at 86 Park Road, Blackpool, along with other nurses and midwives as well as several new born babies, which suggests that this may have been a maternity hospital. However, I can find no history of any kind of hospital at this address, although in the 1950s there were plans to use it as the 'Home for Old People at Goodwood' (not sure this ever happened, but there were tenders for building work in 1956). Also, the Glenroyd Maternity Hospital was nearby, so not sure whether two so close together would have been normal.

Given the date I am wondering if this might have been a temporary hospital set up after the start of the war.

if anyone has any information about this location it would be greatly appreciated, as would any pointers as to how to find out more.

Many thanks,
Graeme

[maddys52]

Hello Graeme and welcome to rootschat!

I'm sure some more people who know the area will be along soon, however there are some mentions of this property in newspapers - advertisements for "Goodwood Private Hotel" at Park Rd, Blackpool (40 bedrooms) in 1948, and a few death notices with 86 Park Rd Blackpool (sometimes called "Goodwood House") as the address: 1968 - 1972 (that I can see immediately).

Can't see any mentions as a maternity hospital, but sounds like it could have been.

[stanmapstone]

This is Google Street View of 86 Park Road https://goo.gl/maps/pktaAmWmfpL2

Stan

[Mcglas]

Thanks very much for the information, including the hotel name. I have now searched on ‘Goodwood Private Hotel’ and have found advertisements for it in the mid 1930s as well as after the war, so think it must only have been temporarily used as a maternity hospital. From the image on google street view it certainly looks like it could have been used for this purpose.

Thanks,
Graeme

[lancsann]

Up until during WW2 Glenroyd was a convalescent home for co-operative society members so no maternity facilities in 1939

I was born in a nursing home in Blackpool which with advent of the NHS in 1948 was turned into a private hotel so that could have been what happened to Goodwood. There was also another Goodwood Hotel in Hornby Road which was used as a depot for arriving Polish airmen in 1940

[Mcglas]

Thanks lancsann, Goodwood being used as a maternity hospital makes more sense if Glenroyd was being used for a different purpose at the time.

[sadge]

My husband was born at 88 park road in 1946, his Nana ran it as a boarding house. I just asked hime if ever his family mentioned that it was used as a maternity hospital and he says not to his knowledge, it has always been an hotel. Not saying nurses etc., were there as been told soldiers were also there. I know not much help and will ask my friend who is calling tomorrow if she has any knowledge of this.

Susan

[Mcglas]

Thanks Susan, all information is greatly appreciated. I’d imagine that many properties got repurposed during the war so it is hard to know exactly what got used for different things. Hopefully, I will be able to find the answer at some point.

Graeme

[sadge]

Women from all over Lancashire came here during the war as it was deemed safer, I should add pregnant women. They gave birth at Glenroyd and guess put up all over the place. Goodwood was a hotel back then so would be used. I've read an article online by a lady who was sent as a child, she says all these ambulances were lined up waiting they came from Liverpool and every now and again one went off siren going to Glenroyd.

I did look on the 1939 census over the weekend as it was free and there was nurses and babies in there.



Hope it helps.

Susan