Posted: Mon Jun 01, 2009 3:01 pm Post subject: Convalescent home, the Promenade, Southport.
Had an enquiry today -
I am interested in the convalescent home ,the Promenade,Southport.
I wonder if there is anything printed that you may know about?
My grandfather was a patient there at the time of the 1911 census. It looks a beautiful building and must have held a good many men.
The Liverpool record office tell me they have a few administrative records but no patient records.
But I would like to know who built it and who qualified to be a patient there etc. Was it a Trades Union enterprise?
I would be really grateful to know where I can glean more information and for your advice on where to look for it!
Can anyone offer any help?
All I can think of is maybe the reference library may have something
_________________ Mad on Genealogy or just plain mad? :)
Posted: Mon Jun 01, 2009 7:05 pm Post subject: Promenade Hospital
The Architects for the main building were Paull and Bonella, built 1882, that is the ornate part fronting the Promenade. The original building was a smaller two storey building fronting on to Seabank Road. This was the part which until fairly recent times housed the parapleagics( forgive the spelling). It was originally funded by the Lancashire Cotton famine Relief Fund. This was set up in the 1880's to offset the distress in the mill towns over the loss of the cotton imports during the American Civil War.
The older part was built by the Strangers Charity. Subscribers to this charity could nominate a 'sick,poor stranger' to spend upto three weeks in the bracing Southport air!!
This charity also had a dispensary on Lord Street near to Coronation Walk and later one on Seabank Road called the North Meols Local Dispensary.
In 1862 the Hospital became known as the Southport Convalescent Hospital and Sea Bathing Infirmary as there was a bathing pool within the hospital on the Leicester Styreet/ Avondale Road side.
In 1948 it became the Promenade Hospital under the new NHS. It had over 200 beds and it closed in April 1990.
(Thatch,Towers and Colonnades by Cedric Greenwood)
Further to the previous post, the Convalescence Hospital was used during both World Wars to house injured soldiers, sailors, and airmen. I can remember seeing these blue uniformed men going between the Hospital and the town centre.
Like the parapleagics later, the wounded soldiers made great use of the nearby Windmill Public House in Seabank Road!!!
The hospital was also a trianing school for State Enrolled Nurses, which was two year course, whilst the Infirmary was a training school for the three year course for State Registered Nurses.
As the hospital closed in 1990 I would imagine all patient records would be transferred to the Southport Infirmary or the new Southport and Ormskirk Hospital Trust
I remember John Ball telling us that he and Ruth visited the Promenade Hospital after its conversion into flats; he said that he had worked there at some stage and had discovered a lot of 'artefacts' in a cellar - would it be worth contacting him or putting him in contact with the enquirer?
_________________ I may be a shrimp but I'm BIG on family history
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