50 Holyhead Road

A relative of mine died in 1917 at 50 Holyhead Road. Was this a hospital does anybody know, because she had an emergency operation for appendicitis. Thanks.

Hi Janeyb, In the Spennell's annual directory of Coventry & Districts 1912-13 (Source- page 541): "50 Holyhead Road: Medical and Surgical Home, (Wire, Nursing, Cov.; Tel 594) - Morley Miss, Matron." In the 1911 Census: 50 Holyhead Road is called "West & Sus House". It was run by Matron Elizabeth Gertrude Morley. There were 9 people (all women) living there at the time - 6 working there (1 matron, 3 nurses, 1 domestic cook & 1 domestic housemaid) and 3 patients. It seems odd that 2 of the people listed as patients have the occupation of nurse (perhaps they became ill/infected while treating others). They seem to refer to the house as a 'sick house'. The residents and patients of the house came from various places (Yorkshire, Dublin, Scotland, etc.) - none of the residents were born in Coventry. The house was a considerable size having 10 rooms (not including bathrooms or offices). In 1914 - the house seems to be referred to as "Coventry Shelter" - which is assumedly a children's home (as well as a hospital?) (Source). Luke. Edited by member, 5th Mar 2016 11:41 am

My mother died of TB Christmas time 1939. My siblings and I would go to a house in that vicinity for regular check ups and x rays. Maybe the same house.

Was this building on a corner, of Barras Lane perhaps? If so, it was an orphanage in the 1960's. I was a pal of one of the boys there and if he came for tea, my mother had to write a note to the guy who ran the place.

There are several adverts in the Coventry newspapers between 1914 and 1918 for staff, it is called a nursing home then.

In the 1950's my mum used to take me to a clinic there, maybe on the corner of Dover Street. Not sure if this is/was the same place. Had a problem, whereby my toes were crossing over each other. They bandaged or plastered them together. Was convenient for us, as we lived in Sewall Highway, the No. 7 bus took us all the way.

Thank you everybody, it all makes more sense now. She must have been in the nursing home when she died. Her name was Connie Tatlow and she lived at The Rainbow Inn at Allesley. Is the nursing home building still there? I am not local.

All the buildings on that side of the road are long gone as also is the clinic on the other side. On this 1953 planning application No.50 is marked as "BLIND HOME". Click on image to view full-size: Edited by member, 7th Mar 2016 12:06 am

Thanks Dutchman, That bit of information allowed me to find the name of (what I believe is) the shelter we are looking for: St. Faith's Shelter (a charitable Anglican voluntary organisation - for women and infants in need) moved to the Holyhead Road in 1916-17 and left in 1946 (link to British-history.ac.uk). The Holyhead Road premises were then sold to the Coventry Society for the blind (link to British-history.ac.uk - 2). I cannot be 100% sure that this is 50 Holyhead Road - but it seems extremely likely in light of Dutchman's map above. I would imagine that the nearby Paybody eye hospital may have had connections with the house when it was owned by the Society for the Blind (?). Luke.

This link was posted very recently, Spennell's. No plagiarism here!

It was a link for Spennell's 1912-13.

Possibly Constance TATLOW.

In 1901 - 50 Holyhead road was occupied by John Hewitt (a watch manufacturer), Mary Hewitt & Family. John Hewitt died later that year in 1901 and Mary Hewitt died in 1908. By 1911 it was a Medical and Surgical Home (see previous post). In the 1929, 1931, 1936, 1941 & 1943 phone books: "St. Faith's Home & Night Shelter. 50 Holyhead rd. 4957." By the way St. Faith's is mentioned in another thread on this forum: St Faith's, Warwick Road (where the shelter moved to after it left the Holyhead Road house).