St. Margarets Unmarried Mothers Hostel - 262 Victoria Park Road Hackney

[PointDown]

I was also born at St Margaret's Nursing Home in 1967. My adoptive mother had been a midwife and then a health visitor in the East End during the fifties and early sixties and I think this meant they were able to arrange a private adoption by "pulling string" via her contacts. I think she also  knew the matron a Mrs EW Eldridge. This was probably the only way my parents  could adopt as my adoptive mother was 46 at the time.

When I started searching for information about my birth mother about 12 years  I had to go via an adoption counsellor in my borough. She was very helpful but as St Margaret's was not an official  adoption agency she was very unsure where my adoption files  would be kept . Eventually after 2 years  they were found by Leicestershire County Council  which is where my adoptive parents were living at the time. Later when we moved to the  London area  in the mid seventies we drove to see where I was born  but my mother said the home had been knocked down and the area redeveloped. Though my adoptive parents didn't meet my birth mother they did meet a close relative of hers at the nursing home who I guess was there to vet them.

It took me another 3 years of extensive searching to find her, which was eventually through Genes Reunited. At the time she was working less than a mile from where I was living which came as a bit of a shock.   For various reasons I haven't contacted her due to a few extraordinary circumstances.

 I don't know if my adoptive mother ever worked at St Margaret's as she died when I was 11 and can't recall her mentioning it  but I am fairly sure she would have known if its reputation was poor, and at least it may not have been  as regimentated and  judgemental as many homes run by Catholic orders at the time.

Interestingly I know my birth mother wasn't living close to Bethnal Green  so I am keen to know why she ended up here. I hope I'll be able to ask her one day.


I have found a couple of links which indicate the home was primarily an old persons home with a few beds for mothers and babies.

http://wellcomelibrary.org/moh/report/b1988588x/55#?asi=0&ai=55&z=-0.4241%2C0.5199%2C2.0256%2C0.6828     page 40

http://wellcomelibrary.org/moh/report/b19885957/#?asi=0&ai=57&z=-0.663%2C0.3318%2C2.7435%2C1.1279  page 44

[Atlanta1]

Wow how fascinating - thank you for the information..

[BMCParka]

I am trying to trace my half-sister who was born at the hostel. Do you know if there are records from the hostel anywhere that I would be able to view i.e. at the London Metropolitan Archive or a similar venue?
Thanks

[dawnsh]

Hi BMCParka

Welcome to Rootschat 

The records at the London Metropolitan Archives may be closed to you but it is worth your while contacting them to see what help & information they are able to give you.

If your half sister has been adopted out, you may get more want to consider the GRO adoption contact register

 https://www.gov.uk/adoption-records/accessing-your-birth-records

Dawn

[Michael45]

I was born at this home in September 1945 to a trainee teacher after a liaison with an American serviceman. According to my adoptive mother I was handed over two weeks after my birth on East Croydon Train Station. Paperwork appears to have been sparse or non-existant as my adoptive mother was unmarried and relied on her parents for my upbringing. I managed to trace my birth mother and my birth father's family in America. I would like to have more information on the running of this home and the policy, if any, for assessing adoptive parents. Thanks.

[mollie]

Hello Dawn, just seen your message to Atlanta.  I was born in St Margaret's in 1963 and am trying to find out more about it.  I already have some information from the papers in my adoption file but am interested in knowing more about how the home was run - what the routines were for the young women who came there, any pictures etc.  Your message suggested you might be able to help?

Kay

I lived there in the 60's, we were placed at 54a Cawley Road, a large Victorian three story house in the next street, to await the birth of our babies. Three months in my case. No heating except one oil stove in one room, no sheets on the beds and one blanket.
When I lived there, there were about twelve girls sharing rooms, one bathroom and the kitchen was in the basement. We did all our washing by hand and hoped it would drip dry in the yard, it was winter and we used to bring the damp clothes in doors to dry.
Food was brought to us daily from 262 and between us we would cook a meal to share. On Sundays Mrs Eldridge cooked a meal and we all sat around her dining table with her and her husband

[Nude_Warthog]

Having just registered on this site - I hope this is the right place for this posting.

I've read all the postings for this thread (and the other very similar one - 'St. Margaret's Hostel') and was pleased (that I wasn't the only person looking), saddened (by so many people having the uphill struggle of looking for siblings and/or birth parents) and disappointed (that records don't appear to exist). 

I was born at 262 Victoria Park Road in 1950. My parents were married but as I was their third child I guess either I wasn't wanted or they couldn't afford another child - and so was going to be adopted.  Apparently (fortunately?!), I was a good-looking baby boy (not so much now I'm afraid!) and my parent's changed their mind at the last minute and decided to keep me !!

Naturally, I'm very interested in finding out as much as I can about this place (history, photos, etc.) - and whether I can find out the names of the couple who must have been all lined up to adopt me.

I was told that it was a private nursing home - and so found the "Unmarried" part of the name confusing!

If anybody knows or comes across any relevant information on St.Margaret's Hostel (262 Victoria Park Road, Hackney) - please let me know.

Many thanks - and 'Good Luck'.

[dawnsh]

Hi Nude!

Welcome to Rootschat 

As you can see from this topic, people find it, post once and don't reply again.

If they don't return to the topic, then they won't get notifications of more replies as people's notifications are generally set to 'instantly but only for the first reply' rather than 'instantly.

Also as their post counts remain at 1, they can't send or receive personal messages, they need a higher count - 2 or above.

You could try contacting the London Metropolitan Archives to see if a file exists in your name.

https://www.cityoflondon.gov.uk/things-to-do/london-metropolitan-archives/Pages/default.aspx

Dawn

[trisha6656]

hi im trying to find out about my half sister who was also born in St Margarets and I have not got very far at all so no nothing about the place apart from she was born there in march 1949 and adopted and a boy was also taken on the same day as her, I would just love to know all about her and to know that she had a good life. Her mum (my mum) never wanted to give her up was made to by my grandparents,she wanted to keep her and never ever forgot her.i have a copy of her birth certificate and that's about it.If anyone can help I would be very grateful.