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England (Counties as in 1851-1901) => England => Cambridgeshire => Topic started by: suey on Monday 21 March 05 18:12 GMT (UK)
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Can SKS help me please - 81a Mill Road Cambridge.
I have this address on a birth certificate dated 1919. Was this a private residence or was it as I suspect the location of the Parish Workhouse? The mother of the child was described as 'of no fixed abode'. The birth was registered in the Sub District of St.Andrew the Less if thats any help.
Thanks in advance
Suey
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Hi, Suey,
This is just round the corner from where I live, and off the top of my head I'm not exactly sure. I know that the old maternity hospital is along there somewhere, but I'm not certain when it was functioning in that capacity. I'll have a stroll along there tomorrow as I've got to buy some printer ink in a shop almost opposite - I'll also have a look through my books on Cambridge.
Sorry to be so vague at this stage, but I'm on your case...!
Keith
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Yes, Suey,
I've just cheated a bit and had a look on the internet. 83, Mill Rd. is a pub called "Chariots of Fire" (derelict after a fire a couple of years ago), and next to it is Ditchburn Place, which was built originally as a Workhouse in 1836-8, and subsequently (not exactly sure when, but will find out) became the Rosie Maternity Hospital. Now with the Rosie transferred to the New Adddenbrokes's Hospital on the outskirts of the City, it has become a sheltered housing scheme amongst other things. I believe it is the oldest building in the Mill Road area.
Hope this helps,
Keith
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Keith - Many, many, thanks for the reply and information. This is realy helpful.
This could turn out to be a sad story - The lady who gave birth at this address was originally from Hertfordshire. We have a record from Cambs Union asking Bishops Stortford Union if they would take her back as she had arrived pregnant and of 'no fixed abode'.
We have no further record of the lady in Herts or indeed of her child - I think I now need to ask Cambs Records and Archives to have a look and see if either or both remained at Cambs workhouse, it's possible that the child was abandoned :-\
Suey
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Hi again, Suey,
Glad to be of assistance - actually it would have been unforgivable, as a fully fledged Rootschatter, NOT to have responded to a query about somewhere only half a mile away from my home and this very laptop...
These are the stories that bring family history truly to life, and I'm sure the Cambs Record Office in Cambridge, Shire Hall, Castle Hill would be able to help you now. (Not at this moment certain of their exact address/telephone/ e-mail - I'm sure it's on the internet somewhere).
Now I'm off to buy that printer ink, with many a sideways glance across the road at number 81a. (If you put in Ditchburn Place on Google, there's a nice picture and info about the place, so no need to take my camera this time...!)
Best wishes,
Keith
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not exactly sure when, but will find out) became the Rosie Maternity Hospital. [/i]
The Rosie opened in the 1980s. I was born in the Mill Road Maternity Hospital in 1978 and it continued for a few years until moving to the Addenbrookes site under a new name.
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I've just been to get that colour cartridge, and as Ditchburn Place is exactly opposite, I managed to bore the man there with a brief history of the place. (The shop is called "Smart Cartridge", but when I was directed to it for the first time, I was told it was called "Intelligent Ink" - some kind of twisted word-association).
Anyway, as plain as day is the date of 1838 on the outside, and the number 81a on a black sidegate. The pub next door used to be called "The Durham Ox" until recently changed to "Chariots of Fire", before its ironic blaze.
More importantly, Suey, if you Google "Cambridge Workhouses", the top choice is "Poor Law Unions in England", and if you click on Cambs - Cambridge, you get an excellent page on it. Apparently the site had separate boys and girls school, male and female infirmaries, and there's a good plan of it. Near the bottom of the page is a reference to the Cambridge County Record Office which has several holdings on Ditchburn Place, including, I notice, deaths for 1877-1938.
Maybe the person you are researching died in the infirmary.
And yes, Andrew, you like many hundreds, possibly thousands of Cambridge people were born here when it was the Mill Rd. Maternity Hospital - it had a wonderful reputation.
Keith
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Hello Keith and Andrew - Rootschat never ceases to surprise me - the generosity of folk with local knowledge of places and things, I can't thank you enough...
I'm off to have a 'Google'
Suey
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How fantastic! I was born at the Maternity Hospital in 1977, so it's interesting to know more information about it. I did find a link - http://wikimapia.org/#lat=52.201505&lon=0.1378441&z=16&l=0&m=s&v=9 This shows the site of the old hospital (centre). Coincidentally, I am studying at Anglia Ruskin University now, I had no idea it was so close!
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Hi, Paul, and welcome to Rootschat!
I love it when a thread bursts back into life, in this case after nearly 5 years.
And, yes, Ditchburn Place (the old workhouse) is just round the corner from Anglia Ruskin...
Very best wishes,
keith
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The Rosie Maternity Hospital which replaced the old Mill Road hospital was opened at the Addenbrookes Hospital site in 1983, paid for by a donation of £3,000,000 by David Robinson, owner of the TV rental company Robinson Rentals. Rosie Robinson was his mother.
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I had family living at no.76 Mill road way back in 1851. This Mill road was in Little Wilbraham. Is this the same Mill road??
D
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I had family living at no.76 Mill road way back in 1851. This Mill road was in Little Wilbraham. Is this the same Mill road??
D
Hi D
Little Wilbraham is a few miles from Cambridge, so its not the same Mill Road posted at the begining of the thread
ricky
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Thanks :)
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I have just received my husband's full birth certificate. He will be 81 this year. He was born at 81a Mill Road Cambridge in March 1939. Both mother and father were living at Green End Road and father a Leading Aircraftsman RAF, which seems to indicate that this address was a maternity home at that date.
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Two online documents re Mill Road Workhouse and Hospital:
https://www.capturingcambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/81a_MR-1st-edn_2015-10-10.pdf
https://www.cuh.nhs.uk/cuh/services/non_clin/archive/history/related_hospitals.html#mill_road
WhiskyMac :)
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Thank you WhiskyMac. Most interesting links.
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Just a footnote to this, Kateinperth, the Cambridgeshire Archives moved from Shire Hall, Cambridge to The Dock, Ely in late November 2019, and only seems to be open now on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays. Sadly gone are the days when I could walk the couple of miles across town and up Castle Hill and visit the old location and do a few lookups for fellow Rootschatters...
Keith