RootsChat.Com
England (Counties as in 1851-1901) => England => Hampshire & Isle of Wight => Topic started by: Billiegirl on Wednesday 19 November 14 06:42 GMT (UK)
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Hi all - looking for a photo which shows this Maternity home in the 1950's or 60's. It was in Clifton Road, Southsea, and I believe there was a nightclub near or under it. :o
Apparently it was a Victorian building but was demolished after 1968. It was near the Queen's Hotel, I think.
Would love any info or pics if anyone can help :)
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You could try contacting this paper, and checking whether anyone responded with photos to this request:
http://www.portsmouth.co.uk/news/august-22-2009-1-1237855
Romilly.
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Try
michaelcooper.org.uk/C/kimbells.htm
I think that may be the building, but it is still there I think and it was last used as a casino.
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You could also try contacting the NMRNN to see if they have any photos:
http://www.nmrn.org.uk/
Romilly.
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Thanks for those links Romilly. Nice to know someone else was looking for a pic too. I think this is going to be harder than I thought.
antiquesam, that is a very interesting site with pictures of the old Kimbell's ballroom, and as its on the corner of Osbourne and Clifton, I think Bowland's Maternity must have been behind it. I had a look on street view but can't see anything that resembles a maternity hospital. I'm not at all familiar with the area - although I was born there! I wonder what the street number was?
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Hello,
I was born there, Royal Navy and Royal Marine Maternity Home. I have a photo but the file size is too big to post here. Any suggestions how i can get it to you?
Ness
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Hello NessHandler, many thanks for your reply and a very warm welcome to Rootschat. Its very nice to meet someone born in the same hospital!
I'm not very technical when it comes to photos, but as far as shrinking the pic is concerned, I think you only have to resize it to 130 x 200 pixels, and the limit is 500kb. If you go to the How to Use Rootschat , open the Index and find Adding Images to Postings and Pictures there's a good description there, and a place where you can do a practice one. I use Irfanview which is quite easy and it tells you there how to download it. I hope you get on ok - I'm really looking forward to the photo!
My mother had a very happy time at Bowlands, I hope yours did too!
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Hello
Got a real problem as I have a Mac so the software is no good for my PC. I have tried to compress the file and attach as a zip file but the web site will not let me upload it. I will have to do some more research to sort out how to post it.
I'll keep trying
Vanessa
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Just had a thought, Are you on facebook?
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Hi Nessa, no not on facebook sorry. I'll make a post on technical help and see if any rchatters knows. :)
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Trying this
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A photo of the Nursing staff at Bowlands between 1953 and 1955
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Seems to be chopping this photo in half so this is my last try at it.
Hope they help
Vanessa
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Well done Vanessa, they're terrific, and the right era too! Thanks so much. Do you mind if I ask where you found them? There doesn't seem much archival material around on the Home and I'm sure there were many like us who were born there.
Many thanks again, Billiegirl :D
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Seems to be chopping this photo in half so this is my last try at it.
Hope they help
Vanessa
If you slide the photo to the left, you will find the whole photo is there....aren't they lovely.
Carol
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They are lovely, I'm so grateful to Vanessa. My Mum will be very pleased to see them.
For anyone else was born there, or worked there etc, it would be lovely to hear from you before its all forgotten! :'(
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I found the photos in my Mum's collection of old snaps. The building one was taken by my Dad I think and the other looks like a large professional photo. They are actual photos and not found on the net. I took a photo of the photos with my iphone, if that makes sense? I did this so i could log them on my own family tree.
My Mum still talks about Bowlands and her time there. She remembers spending about 10 days in there after the birth of me and later the twins. She remembers all the new babies being held up with the cord still attached and shown in the ward, so all the wives could see the latest arrival.
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That's great Vanessa - I showed my Mum your pics yesterday and she thought she recognised some of the nurses. She said the Matron was very nice and kind, too. It sounds like there was great camaraderie and a lot of laughter. In the front of the building photo taken by your Dad, my Mum said my father stood across the road with my toddler brother while Mum held me up in the window to show me to him. He and my sister were born earlier at St Mary's - I was the lucky one! Dad also mentioned the "killer stairs" and how the nurses pulled and he pushed an in-labour Mum up them!
Mum also mentioned that staff looked after me while she went out to dinner with Dad, which surprised me (this was 1955). Unfortunately, they can't remember where they went.
So you see your parent's snaps have brought back a lot of happy memories, as I'm sure they will for many other people on this forum, and I really can't thank you enough for sharing them.
Very best wishes from one Bowlands baby to another! ;D
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Hi NessHandler/Vanessa,
I was born at Bowlands in 1966 and would love to see your pictures if possible. I can't find any anywhere.
Thank you!
Toby
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Hi Toby, can't you view the pics on page 2 of this post?
Regards, Billiegirl - and welcome to Rootschat! :)
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Hi I was also born at Bowlands, today is my birthday I was born there 54 years ago. Would love to see a photo if you have one or if I locate one I will pass it along.
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This is it x
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Am so glad to finally see a photo of Bowlands maternity home I was born there in 1957 . My mother spoke about the place but I had not seen any photos until now . Many thanks
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Hi all - looking for a photo which shows this Maternity home in the 1950's or 60's. It was in Clifton Road, Southsea, and I believe there was a nightclub near or under it. :o
Apparently it was a Victorian building but was demolished after 1968. It was near the Queen's Hotel, I think.
Would love any info or pics if anyone can help :)
My Mum was a midwife there. She always says the building was demolished for a car park for the hotel. We still have(my mother) and many of the lovely gifts she was given by appreciative mothers. I'm guessing she worked there late fifties, early sixties.
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Thankyou everyone for the information I found here. I am in Australia and new to this but I was born according to my paperwork at "Royal Naval Maternity Hospital" and birth certificate says Portsmouth. My mother always said the hospital was at Southsea. I tried in 2005 and when there to find it. I couldn't. I was born 15 September 1949. I am absolutely stoked that I was able to see the building and for the information you have all provided. Thankyou so much.
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Hi, I was also born there in 1958. I had never seen a picture of the place until today. I was prompted to discover a little more about it and where it was, and when it was demolished etc.
I do believe it was where the car park for the Queens hotel is now? I can vaguely recall some building works going on in that area thinking about it. But I didn't often go along Osbourne Road, it was mostly straight down Palmerston Rd, across the common to the beach, or up Festing Rd to the Canoe lake and South Parade Pier to go fishing. Maybe I remember the building works because we went to see Sir Alec Rose when he returned from his around the world trip in '68, and his greengrocers was in Osbourne Rd?