King's Avenue Clapham- unmarried mums home?

[clouise26]

HI there,

I've been looking at my grandfather's birth certificate. We believe he was given away as he was illegitimate. The place of birth on his birth certificate is listed as 139 King's Avenue, Clapham. He was born in 1916. I looked on the 1911 census and at this point that address was a home for crippled boys, which moved in 1912. Given the circumstances of my grandfather's believed illegitimacy, I wondered whether the large property then became somewhere for unmarried mothers.

Anyone know anything?

Many thanks!

[Chris Doran]

The Post Office London County Suburbs Directory, 1916, p166, image 173, at the Historical Directories site says: Reeve Miss Anna Elizabeth, nursing home. A Mrs Dora White has another one next door at 141. Same in 1919 (p158, i166). Not very conclusive.

[clouise26]

The Post Office London County Suburbs Directory, 1916, p166, image 173, at the Historical Directories site says: Reeve Miss Anna Elizabeth, nursing home. A Mrs Dora White has another one next door at 141. Same in 1919 (p158, i166). Not very conclusive.

Thanks for the response Chris, that's interesting, I didn't know about the Post Office Directory. I guess nursing home is very ambiguous. It was definitely a large house because it was previously the home for boys with many residents on the census return. I don't really know where else to look - I've just contacted the local history society for Clapham so maybe they can shed some light on it.

[Mutley]

There is a 1952 picture of 139 Kings Avenue on the Lambeth Council Site.
Perhaps they would have earlier information on the property.

landmark.lambeth.gov.uk/display_page.asp?section=landmark&id=3982

(highlight link, right click and choose 'Search Google')

[Peter Goodey]

I guess nursing home is very ambiguous

I don't see why you're unhappy with Chris's reply or why you think the term in ambiguous. I would have thought a nursing home was a perfectly reasonable place for a birth to take place.

[clouise26]

I don't see why you're unhappy with Chris's reply or why you think the term in ambiguous. I would have thought a nursing home was a perfectly reasonable place for a birth to take place.

I wasn't at all unhappy with Chris's reply - which is why I said it was interesting and thanked him.

As he said himself, "not very conclusive".

Nursing home could be somewhere somebody gives birth, yes, or it could have been for injured soldiers (this was WW1), or it could have been for elderly....

Thanks for your response too Mutley, I had a look at the photo, it certainly was a large property.

[Mutley]

There are some wonderful pictures of the area on this site, some are about the time your grandfather was born.
http://www.
ideal-homes.org.uk/lambeth/lambeth-assets/maps/clapham/1920

Sadly it does not answer your original question but you may find the ordnance survey map of 1920 showing the plots in Kings Avenue interesting.