Epsom Workhouse "Middle House" in 1941

[Mark1973]

Re: Epsom Workhouse "Middle House"
Don't know if this info is of any use to provide a "link", but here goes:-
  During the Blitz of 1940/41 I was 8-9.  I had a blister on my knee.  I picked it (of course!).  It turned septic and my leg swelled-up like a telegraph pole! Mum brought me from Sutton & Cheam ("Struggle & Scream") Hospital by 164 to Sutton "The Cock", thence by green 470, to Epsom District Hospital AKA "The Workhouse".  I was about a week in an upstairs ward with open balcony guarded by diamond mesh screen.  Overnight we could hear the bombing- more over Morden, Carshalton direction.
Bill- aka "St Helier Boy"

Interesting stuff Bill, always good to hear a bit of history, my main local history studies are Sutton & the St Helier Estate.

[St Helier Boy]

Hi Mark1973
Thank you. Yours was the first response to my first try at using this website: still very shaky  at navigating my way around it! I was born in Garendon Road Morden (parish of Carshalton) in 1932.  Moved around the corner onto Reigate Avenue Sutton, a few months before the 1940 Blitz started.  I lived there til I married Joan from Garendon Road in 1955.  Via a flat in Courtenay Road Worcester Park, another in Carshalton Beeches and a room in Joan's Mum's in Garendon Road, we finally bought a house in Priory Crescent Cheam (2,625.00 !)in 1958; had a son and a daughter there and moved up here to Suffolk early 1973.  I've recently been searching for info about our area prior to the building of St Helier Estate by the LCC.  You'll appreciate that all my Sutton & Cheam, Morden, Carshalton info is now -well- vintage!  If I can help filling-in any gaps for you at any time- just ask; I'm a mine of useless information!  Best wishes,
Bill aka "St Helier Boy".

[Mark1973]

Cheers Bill, would definitely be interested in a bit of history, i assume you've already found this site http://www.heliermemories.org.uk/index.aspx

I have a couple of books on the St Helier Estate, also a Piles directory of 1937 which lists all the heads of households of the newly built estate (Carshalton part only).

[St Helier Boy]

Thanks, Mark.
I too, have a couple of paperbacks (?Sutton Libraries or somesuch) of St Helier and district.
I'd be very interested to know if the Piles directory showed the household into which I was born.
Our part of Garendon Road was JUST inside Carshalton's border and its parish.  I was born June 1932 and. although I was only 7 or 8 when I moved round the corner (1939-1940) onto the Sutton Bypass, I still remember families like: Applegarth, Symonds, Favell, Nelson, Charrington, Sparks, Stackhouse, Bullard, Clarke, Glass, Gunn, Parker, Chase, Broad, MALLION (that's US!), Morton, Dobwell, Winskell,...to name but a few!  I believe my parents and older brothers moved-in (from Islington) circa 1930.
Do let me know if there's anything at all I might be able to fill-in for you.
Cheers,
Bill    Friday evening 21 Jan 2011

[Plummiegirl]

In the 50's (and probably earlier & still much later) many of the old workhouses had become known as "reception centres". 

My ex OH lived in one for a while.  The younger children & older grils were housed with the mother and the older boys with the father.  The father and older boys all went out to work daily.  They remained there until such time that they could be rehoused by a council in a home that was large enougth to accomodate them.
Mother, Father,  2 daughters and 6 sons (later 7 sons).   

This was in the Woolwich Reception Centre (the old workhouse - which is no longer there.

But I can remember the old workhouse which used to be at the top of Westmorland Road (SE17) which was demolished in the early 60's to make way for the Heygate Estate.

[Penelope de Venables]

@Mark1973
I've just discovered my father was born July 1939 in Middle House, Dorking Road
I was surprised to discover it was a workhouse too.

[ShaunJ]

I've just discovered my father was born July 1939 in Middle House, Dorking Road

It was Epsom County Hospital by then.

[ardlie]

Not sure if anyone is still following this as it was started many years ago but just found this on the web:

In 1904 the Registrar-General recommended that the address for births at the workhouse be given as Middle House or 49 Dorking Road to avoid stigmatising the child by association with the workhouse (deaths were similarly registered after 1919).

https://ezitis.myzen.co.uk/epsomdistrict.html

[Bookbox]

Welcome to RootsChat, ardlie.

You'll find listings of the standard 'disguised' addresses for these institutions on the Workhouses website.

https://www.workhouses.org.uk/addresses/