Hatton Mental Hospital

[Robtim]

I recently found out that my unmarried mother was admitted to Hatton Mental Hospital shortly after my birth, during the war years.  I was brought up in care and discouraged from seeking out the truth.  Social Workers led me to believe that she had got married and had more children.  I didn't want to upset her new life.  My mother was at Hatton from the 1940's until the hospital closed in 1995.  She died in 1997 so I never met her.  I would like to know more about life at Hatton for patients at that time.  I would like to know whether they had jobs, their daily routine, whether they celebrated birthdays, whether they were taken for days out?  I would like more specific information on the welfare of my mother during her time at Hatton but I don't know if ex-staff would be allowed to discuss a former patient.  I have purchased a book called Central Hospital Remembered.  I have been in touch with the NHS, but her records have been destroyed.  I am also in touch with Warwick Records Office where they are searching for information about her.

If anyone does have any information about patients at Hatton Hospital from 1940's until 1995 I would be very interested.

[Pastmagic]

That must have been a difficult piece of news to absorb, I do hope The archive can find you some useful info.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/coventry/features/general/where_i_live_feature.shtml

Has an account of people who worked there. It might be possible to track down former employees who were there at the time of closure?

http://www.search.windowsonwarwickshire.org.uk/engine/theme/default.asp?theme=936
Photos of the asylum.

PM

[Lemontree]

http://archiver.rootsweb.ancestry.com/th/read/WARWICK/2008-11/1227231960

A link to a comment about how lovely a hospital central was as a hospital.

http://dictionary.sensagent.com/central+hospital,+hatton/en-en/

[Lisajj]

Warwick Records office is the best place.  My 4 x great grandfather was in Hatton too.  The only problem you may have is that some of the records are closed due to other patients in there could still possibly be alive.  I think though you will still be able to request your mothers records under the freedom of information act.
However, wait and see what Warwick come back with.  Contact Warwickshire Family History society and also the author of the book.
Lisa

[Robtim]

Thanks for all your help.  I will let you know how I get on.
If you have any more thoughts please let me know.

[Bojalu]

Also try Solihull Heritage & Archives

http://www.solihull.gov.uk/heritage/default.htm

[Robtim]

I have just had a reply from cath151 to a message I wrote to her about Hatton.  I have copied her reply so that others have the chance to see it.  I am relieved to keep on hearing about the community spirit there.

Thanks very much,

Robtim

Hi Robtim,
Both my mum and dad worked there occasionally my dad was a lab technician and my mum a medical secretary  (in the 1940s) . I m not sure how long they worked there, not long I think.
We lived a couple of miles away. Unfortunately i can t ask as they ve both passed away  and they said very little about it really. My Grandma died there and she had alzheimers or some form of dementia.
I think at one stage it was nt a very pleasant place to be but became a much much more patient friendly place in later years.
My mum said there where people there who should never have been there , for petty crimes ,very minor mental problems etc.
They tended the gardens and grew vegetables and a couple where well known in the area, absconding occasionally. In fact my dad chased a patient for about a mile  until he was thwarted when the unfortunate? ( I think not!) fellow stripped and swam the canal.
My mums abiding memory is arriving the first day and having to ride her bike up a long slow hill with residents cutting the hedges with massive billhooks, she was a bit worried but said she soon learnt that they were just unlucky and unfortunate to be there. Sorry to hear your Mother was there for such a time, i can t really say what life was like for her   , but there were staff there who cared greatly for the residents in later years ( and I m sure ,before that).
  Perhaps a look round on the web and you may find some info, there may be possible sources of records somewhere, especially if you are a relative.
Best wishes
Cathy

[Robtim]

I have had a reply from a former member of staff at Hatton Hospital.  They can't remember my mother but they are putting me in touch with a former colleague who worked on her ward.  My mother was one of many women in Hatton because they had children out of wedlock.  It's been upsetting to discover that so many women were admitted to places like Hatton for these reasons.  It wasn't until The 1959 Mental Health Act that patients had to have a mental illness to be admitted to an asylum.  This was too late for my mother and others of her generation, by the time this came into force they were institutionalised and some had developed mental illnesses due to the medication and treatment they were given, and also the stress of being forcibly and permanently separated from their children.

However, attitudes towards mental health did change whilst my mother was at Hatton, and I have been told by a member of staff that in the later years the patients were well cared for; birthdays and Christmases were celebrated.  When the hospital closed staff often went with the patients to the hospital/ nursing home which they had been moved to, to help settle them in.  Also funerals were well attended by staff.  It has been a great comfort to find this out.

I'm still looking for members of staff or visitors who have memories of Hatton Hospital. It's important that these memories aren't forgotten.

Yours
Robtim

[Yellow1]

I am trying to send you a message but having difficulty. I may be able to help you as my mother was a nurse at The Central Hospital for almost 40 years. She is away until the weekend so I will talk to her upon her return. I worked at the hospital for a couple of years in a part time capacity and then at the new hospital.(I was actually on duty on the day the last wards closed.) My mum is a fountain of knowledge and I'm sure she will help you if she can. Could you message me your mothers name?