Do You Recognise This Building?

[millymcb]

No clock tower so not the place but here is the kind of convalescent home ....

This is a children's convalescant home in Kent...so the suggestion of children's sanitorium could well be a possibility..

http://www.rootschat.com/links/062m/

Milly

[Evie]

Hi

Just a thought but could it be an old people's home where Grandma is staying?

Evie

[millymcb]

Hi Kia...

The photo looks quite a good one.... does it look like a professional one rather than one taken by a passenger. Or even a post-card?

If so then presumably the building was well known enough to have had such a picture taken of it.


What makes you think John is Uncle John - and do you know anything about him...?

Milly

[Lydart]

(Book-marking !)

My initial thought was a hospital or convalescent home somewhere ... its somewhat similar to Harefield Hospital where I had TB in the 1950's ... but its not that.

Can anyone do anything to enlarge the cars ... or could Justkia scan the bit with the cars at a much higher mag and definition please ?

[lookingforold]

I think it could be quite modern. The number os smallish cars parked and the fact that there are no chimneys suggests central heating whereas the old 'workhouses' had dozens of chimneys. Looks like a religious statue on the gate pillar on the RH side of the photo.

[Just Kia]

I know my great grandmother (the likely giver of the pic) died "at home" and didn't go anywhere to convalesce.
I know from my uncle that great grandma enjoy taking "little trips" and always sent John a postcard or bought a photograph back (although, sadly, most of these have been lost/disposed of over time).
John is the only John in that family branch for a few generations - so it's purely guess work that it's noted to him.

My grandparents don't recognise the place. John doesn't recognise it and when asked it he thought it was from his nan the reply was "oh, I wouldn't know" - he must have cared at some point as she only sent postcards to him and not his 2 brothers.
I'd think it's probably a professional photo rather than a "holiday snap".

It looks to me as if the people in the lower tier (outside the low wall) are playing boules maybe.

Oh and great granddad was a GWR plate-layer if that gives any clues.

Here's close ups of the cars (turned sideways to fit better) and the people.

[Lydart]

... boules ... or croquet ?

Those open folding doors are so typical 1930's ... metal frames, with lots of tiny panes of glass ...

[Berlin-Bob]

the two white cars on the left (4th and 5th) look to me like a VW beetle and then a Citroen 2CV - a dishy.voe. That would make it 60's and 70's I think.

Did you get a lot of dishy.voes (DeuxChevaux) in Britain ?? That might make a continental location more likely.  Most cars seem to be parking bonnets to the left, which is also continental practice - drive on the right, park on the right, in the direction of travel.

Definitely european cars, not american.

Bob

[Just Kia]

2CV's were quite popular in England, commonly known as "Dolly" apparently.