388 Southmead Road, Bristol in 1944-Hospital?

[bea10_20]

Hi there, a birth cert for my uncle says he was born at 388 Southmead Road, Bristol but this was not the normal residence of his mother (although her normal residence was Southmead) - does anyone know if this was a hospital at the time? Or was this a unmarried women's home as it was an illegitimate child? Thank you very much.

[Geoffers]

I don't know, but possibly Southmead Hospital?

See the North Bristol NHS web-site

and the Hospital Records Database

[mikejee]

Looking at a combination of google streetview and oldmaps, no 388 is at approximately the position on Southmead road of Southmead hospital

[Barnzzz]

Hi there, I was very, very, surprised to read this post. Today, my brother in law visited us and he brought his birth certificate to see if we could find anything about his birth, family and early years. He too was born at 388 Southmead Road in 1944, what a coincidence!

We know that brother in law's mother had a baby and his father was a GI. She had to go to what she called 'a naughty girl's home" to have the baby, this must have been 388 Southmead Road . Brother in law can remember being in a children's home after this. However, his mother got married when he was about 3 and he then went to live with his mum and her husband.

I've got brother in law's birth certificate in front of me now. It shows where he was born and that his birth was registered some 3 months later by an L Fricker who is an occupier of 388 Southmead Road, presumably someone who worked there. They gave him a name but he's since been called by the name his mother used.

388 Southmead Road is now part of Southmead Hospital but the actual buildings look Victorian. In 1944 I assume they were some kind of home for fallen women. We'd now consider it a refuge!

My mother in law was affected by this all of her life. Her father threw her out and her grandmother took her in. The 'shame' was always with her and I don't think she ever got over it.

I'd be very interested to know about other similar stories

Sue

[Peter Goodey]

388 Southmead Road was the euphemism shown on birth and death certificates for Barton Regis (later Bristol) workhouse. See the workhouse web site -

During World War One, the workhouse was taken over as an army hospital and was not returned to civilian use until the early 1920s. In 1924, a large pavilion-plan hospital known as Southmead Infirmary was built at the south-east of the workhouse. The site gradually evolved into a large general hospital now known as Southmead Hospital.

The Hospital Records Database lists very few surviving records.

[bea10_20]

Thank you everyone for your help with this, a great help. I am overwhelmed with how friendly and helpful everyone is - my second day on here and the most amazing bunch of people ever - thank you.

Sue - the birth cert for my uncle and why I am researching him is very similar circumstances to yours! I have just found out about this uncle but I am having huge difficulties tracing him because he was adopted at some point so may not be known by the name he was given on his birth certificate. He was born in 1944 and his father's name is blank on the certificate. My grandmother married just 2 years later in Kent and had another family but my understanding is that my uncle was raised by his grandmother rather than being disowned by her - she however passed away in 1956 so he may have been adopted upon her death or before. I have instructed an adoption agency to trace him for me as I am desperate to share family information with him which may help him understand his mother's actions a little - and I don't have any family on my father's side so to find him would be amazing for me. I am assuming he is still in the Southmead (or at least Bristol) vicinity. There is family rumour that he was an air pilot too but how true that is I've no idea. This search has revealed things I would never have dreamt of - my nan seemed such a lovely person (and very religious) but she has done some very unmotherly things throughout her life! Sorry, I'll stop rammbling now. Best of luck with your brother-in-law's search. Bea

[Kerrywood]

Details of living people should not be posted on the open forum, as explained in our AUP.

Instead, please use the private messaging system or email.

[bea10_20]

Very very sorry, got completely carried away. Many apologies.

[Barnzzz]

Hi, I got carried away too!

[hilaryjohn]

Hi there, a birth cert for my uncle says he was born at 388 Southmead Road, Bristol but this was not the normal residence of his mother (although her normal residence was Southmead) - does anyone know if this was a hospital at the time? Or was this a unmarried women's home as it was an illegitimate child? Thank you very much.

I was born at this address in 1941 and my poor mother was not married. I suspect that it was a home for such girls/women. It had been part of the Barton Regis workhouse in 1902 (probably before) and in 1929 Public Assistance took it over. In 1947.48 when the NHS was formed I think it became subsumed into the Southmead Hospital. Any info about it in the war period would be welcomed. Where are the records? The Archive building (in the tobacco warehouse in the Bristol basin) didn't know about it at all. Thanks in anticipation.