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England (Counties as in 1851-1901) => England => Surrey => Topic started by: queenfromars on Saturday 16 May 15 01:54 BST (UK)
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Hello, I am trying to find out any information on Wilma Lodge. My mother was born there in August 1943 when it was some sort of home for unmarried mothers.
I can find almost no information for this period - I believe it was previously known as Hessle House, and is now a care home for the elderly with a different name.
I would love to know anything anyone might know, anyone who remembers it as Wilma Lodge, what it was like, photos, who it was run by at the time......really anything would be very much appreciated - I'm beginning to think my mother was the only person actually born there, and that maybe it actually never was a mother and baby home at all ???
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Hi, and welcome to Rootschat, quite a bit about a Wilmer/Wilma Lodge, Ewell village near Epsom on Google, it appears at least from one account to have been a Nursing Home in 1948.
Keyboard86
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Roskruge, Lilain [Lillian] Annie died there in 1931
http://www.epsomandewellhistoryexplorer.org.uk/EpsomCemeteryBurialsR.html
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Hi, thanks for the welcome and replies.
Yes, I can only seem to find reference to it as a nursing home/care home - I cannot seem to find anything which suggests it was used as a mother & baby home, nor anybody else who used it as such!
I would love to know who ran it and any information regarding it as a mother & baby home as opposed to a nursing home for the elderly.
Many thanks again.
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From a google search, as suggested above by keyboard86, someone else was definitely born there:
'My blast-off occurred on 14 April 1948 at the Wilmer Lodge nursing home just up
the road from Ewell village, near Epsom, Surrey, England.'
http://collectspace.com/review/aurora/lifeinspace_samples.pdf
so perhaps the use of 'nursing home' is slightly misleading.
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Hi, yes i know of wilma lodge, my fathr was born there in 1936 & his parents were definetly married so it wasnt a home for unmarried mothers at that time, my great grandfather died there in 1965
I have some info on the home and photos, but ive just moved house so when i lay my hands on them i will share with you :)
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Hi, yes i know of wilma lodge, my fathr was born there in 1936 & his parents were definetly married so it wasnt a home for unmarried mothers at that time, my great grandfather died there in 1965
I have some info on the home and photos, but ive just moved house so when i lay my hands on them i will share with you :)
Hi and welcome to Rootschat, please come back with any information or photos of Wilma/Wilmer Lodge. I would love to find out more re its history!
Keyboard86
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Many thanks for taking the time to reply, I am looking forward to anything you are able to share! :)
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I was born there in 1956 - third of 4 children so not place for unmarried mothers - I was told it was a private nursing home.
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This 1950's overlay map shows the exact location, use the transparency slider on the left. Looks like the building is still there.
http://maps.nls.uk/geo/explore/#zoom=19&lat=51.3434&lon=-0.2529&layers=173
Also this overlay map from the 1890's shows the building as Hessle House.
http://maps.nls.uk/geo/explore/#zoom=18&lat=51.3437&lon=-0.2522&layers=176
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I havent forgotten, will be in my loft this weekend to find info and pictures :)
It was def a nursing home, my fathers grandfather, my great grandfather died there in 1933
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The war department were considering using the wilmar lodge for premises according to the london gazette, and after it became a nursing home again
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Brilliant, absolutely any information or pictures would be much appreciated, I cant really find anything about it online apart from the odd reference to it.
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I have been trying for the last 20 minutes to upload photo i have of Wilma Lodge, im working on a samsung tablet and have cropped the photo twice and i am still getting attachment too large, any ideas ?
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have cropped the photo twice and i am still getting attachment too large
Don't crop it, just resize it
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Thanks Shaun, im trying but habing troubles via tablet :'(
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A lot of people on RC use Irfanview to resize photos
http://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php?topic=372537.0
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Had you seen
www.epsomandewellhistoryexplorer.org.uk/Gadesden1.html
There's a snippet about the name Hessle House.
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Daily Mail, Feb 15 1950
Plans have been abandoned, after opposition, to make Wilmar Lodge, Ewell, Surrey, a Territorial centre.
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Yes, thanks, think I've seen both of those....very little else though, so looking forward to any new insights!
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Had you seen?
It was advertised for sale in the Daily Mail, April 1912, then a family home -
"... 12 bed and 3 recep. rooms, stabling, delightful grounds and paddocks, 6 1/2 acres ..."
and the Sunday Times, Nov 1969 after its conversion/stint as a nursing home etc -
"... Late Victorian mansion ... 1 1/3 acres ... 21 principal rooms, 4 bathrooms, 4 w.cs., cloakroom, domestic quarters. Stable/garage block. Oil fired central heating".
Agree the apparent paucity of info.
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Per that Epsom and Ewell History Explorer page, "Hessle House later became the Wilmar Lodge Nursing Home and is now The Elders Care Home."
There's a photo here:
http://www.carehome.co.uk/carehome.cfm/searchazref/10001060ELDA
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I am just looking at references in The Times.
The house Wilmar Lodge, Epsom Road, Ewell, was offered for sale in 1926 for £6,500 ( there is a photo - March 4, page 25)
There are many birth announcements for children born at Wilmar Lodge Nursing Home, Ewell starting in 1934 and ending in 1948
In 1949 there's the public enquiry into its potential use by the TA.
By 1950 it is in use as a nursing home again. Mentioned in many birth announcements up to 1957.
So it seems to have been an upmarket private nursing home for most of the period 1934-1957.
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I'd come to the conclusion that a "... home for unmarried mothers ..." it was not, having seen the Times announcements!
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Here's one from the BMJ in 1933 http://tinyurl.com/punotak
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It was run by Letitia Forster-Feather and Ethel Beatrice Baker from 1935 https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/34150/page/2547/data.pdf
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Hey, thanks for all this, will have a proper look at it all tonight as at work right now.
Is it likely that my grandmother (or her parents most likely) would have paid to have my mother there? She was born illegitimately there in 1943.
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Someone will have paid for her to be at Wilmar Lodge.
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Of course this is a very old discussion thread but I just came across it. I was born at Wilmar Lodge in 1953. I agree with ShaunJ that it was quite an upmarket nursing home - i.e. place to have a baby.
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I found a distant relative on the electoral register at Wilmer Lodge in 1946. There were a number of entries for people with different surnames so clearly it was still being used as a nursing home then. As it was 1946 I surmised that my relative may have been recovering from injuries after wartime service.
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Hello, I am trying to find out any information on Wilma Lodge. My mother was born there in August 1943 when it was some sort of home for unmarried mothers.
I can find almost no information for this period - I believe it was previously known as Hessle House, and is now a care home for the elderly with a different name.
I would love to know anything anyone might know, anyone who remembers it as Wilma Lodge, what it was like, photos, who it was run by at the time......really anything would be very much appreciated - I'm beginning to think my mother was the only person actually born there, and that maybe it actually never was a mother and baby home at all ???
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I know this is an old post but I was born in Wilmar Lodge mother and baby home ,Ewell , Surrey, UK in August 1953. My mother was not allowed to see me and I was adopted at 5 days old. So it did exist. Its on my birth certificate. It was at the now junction of the A24 and Epsom Road but of course roads have been altered since 1953.