20 Nell Lane

[Sheila2748]

Hi.......on my great grandfathers death cert it states that he died at 20 Nell Lane, Withington, Manchester, in 1933.  What I want to know is, does anyone know if this was a workhouse? I know that now it is part of Withington Hospital. On the 1911 census he was seperated from his wife and living at The Rest Lodging House, Factory Yard, Miller St, Manchester.   Sheila.
 

[california dreamin]

Hi

Yes, Nell Lane was the Workhouse

Just to add: From Peter Higgenbottom's Workhouse website - "The former Chorlton workhouse was renamed Withington Hospital. After 1930, control passed to Manchester Corporation until 1948 when the hospital became part of the National Health Service"

[davidurk]

Hi
I know the area very well and was born in Withington Hospital, my grandparents lived on Nell Lane too. I feel there isn't a really good explanation anywhere on the internet re Withington Hospital, Withington workhouse and 20 Nell Lane. Having done quite a lot of research on my family and extended relatives families too, I have found that there are 2 people in my tree that died at 20 Nell Lane. Neither were related to each other at all, dying 10 years apart there, one being a great uncle of mine, the other being an uncle of a cousins husband. So no relation at all.
 I know that Withington Hospital was formerly the Workhouse, but 20 Nell Lane is the opposite end of the Lane to the hospital/workhouse. I think, especially having obtained death certificates for those that died and so seen what they died from,  that 20 Nell Lane was some kind of hospice, connected to the Hospital about a mile away.

[KGarrad]

Many of the infirmaries attached to workhouses used a "civilian" address, to disguise the fact.

Peter Higginbotham's excellent workhouses website has a list of them.
And that shows that Chorlton Workhouse used the address 20 Nell Lane, Withington.
http://www.workhouses.org.uk/addresses/c.shtml

[Mary8]

Many of the infirmaries attached to workhouses used a "civilian" address, to disguise the fact.

They used 123 Crescent road, Crumpsall on death certificates. This was Crumpsall workhouse hospital.
Mary

[KGarrad]

My reply referred to the Chorlton Workhouse.

Crumpsall Workhouse was the replacement for the Manchester Union Workhouse - a different Poor Law Union, and a different workhouse.
Quoting from the Workhouses.org.uk website:
http://www.workhouses.org.uk/Manchester/
From 1904, to protect them from disadvantage in later life, the birth certificates for those born in the workhouse gave its address just as 123 (later 223) Crescent Road, Crumpsall.

[burdett2748]

On a more cheerful note - was there a maternity wing at 20 Nell Lane in 1947 ?  I know someone whose birth certificate shows place of birth as 20 Nell Lane, Withington, that I have always thought was a private house - you know community midwife home births, etc. Not knowing the area, I tuned in to Google intending to look at a street view and the Roots site was top of the list - so here I am.

[KGarrad]

See reply #4

The former Chorlton Barlow Moor Workhouse was renamed as Withington Hospital sometime around WW1.
It always used the address 20 Nell Lane.

See: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Withington_Community_Hospital
and
http://www.workhouses.org.uk/Chorlton/

[burdett2748]

Hello K Garrad,
                       Thank you for your note about 20, Nell Lane.

                       It is a very sobering thought, that the Victorians went so far as to consider the implications of having a 'workhouse' shown as the place of birth on an innocent child's birth certificate.

                       Thank you again,  Burdett2748.