The current tennants of the Hollymoor Centre are seeking people who have any connection with the old Hollymoor Hospital in Northfield for a special celebration on Armed Forces Day on June 28th.
The centre, now a nursery and community centre run by Longbridge Childcare Strategy Group (LCSG), is housed in a few of the remaining admin buildings from the original hospital. Other surviving buildings, including the chapel, laundry and water tower, are now home to a church, doctors’ surgery and dentists’ surgery.
Hollymoor Hospital opened in 1905 as an annex to ‘Rubery Lunatic Asylum’. Costing a quarter of a million pounds to build, it catered for around 600 patients in the rural farmlands between Northfield and Rubery. The 100 acre site, now a housing estate and industrial units, had housing for staff, it’s own bakery, laundry and farm and was linked to Rubery Station by rail.
During both World War I and II, Hollymoor Hospital became a military hospital, caring for wounded solders and, later in World War II, as a specialist military psychiatric hospital. Over 30,000 war wounded soldiers received treatment at the site during the two wars.
During its time as a military psychiatric hospital during World War II, Northfield Military Hospital saw some important studies, which helped shape the future of therapeutic communities as a psychiatric treatment, The First and Second Northfield Experiments.
In 1949 Hollymoor converted back to a psychiatric hospital, and continued to serve South Birmingham until its closure in 1994, when most of its buildings were demolished.
Emma Forsythe from LCSG said: “The Hollymoor centre is celebrating Armed Forces Day in true style and are also holding a history of Hollymoor event along side, as our lovely building was at one time a military hospital.
“If you have any connection with the old hospital or have a military connection or know anyone who does, please point them our direction as we are desperate to contact you! If you have any old pictures/videos or something that you think may be of interest we would also love to hear from you.”
To share your memories, as an ex-staff member, ex-patient, relative or community member, call in to the Hollymoor Centre in Manor Park Grove or contact Emma on 0121 683 7868 or email hollymoorcentreevents@aol.co.uk You can also follow the Hollymoor Centre on Facebook
Read more on Hollymoor Hospital:
Hollymoor Hospital on Birmingham History
I would love for friends who remember me to get in touch my name is keith and yes I am sane like you and not ashamed for being in holly moor adolescent unit please contact me
If anyone would like to contact me please feel free my email address is kjblackham@live.co.uk
I used be a ex patient at hollymoor hospital in Northfield Birmingham adolescent unit aged fourteen years of age .I had some happy memories of my time being their I went to the adolescent in patient school while I was a inpatient their on the adolescent unit i was originally from the west Midlands region
Also the adolescent unit was right next door to the adult ward.. I remember the school on the site where we used to go during the day on the site where the staff social club was in a couple of wooden huts facing the adolescent unit .. I can even remember The teachers names frank was one of them the adolescent unit school teachers & Patrick was another adolescent unit school teacher based at hollymoor hospital in Northfield Birmingham We had a wrvs shop too in the main building of hollymoor hospital where we used to go for snacks & hot drinks it was on the site of rubbery hill hospital in Northfield Birmingham Birmingham & had very tall water towers red brick construction & a chapel too from what I can remember of the adolescent unit it was ward 31 adolescent unit dr Erwin was the pychiatrust at the adolescent unit two dormuntarys one for female patients with ten beds & a lounge common room with sofa in a male commentary with small lounge & staff office ,& main room with big windows & doctors room was near the front door entrance ward 31 adolescent unit & next door ward was a adult ward ..It was completely separated from the main hospital building of hollymoor hospital…it had very big grounds .. Red brick from what I can remember it as
Hi Abigail, I have a few memories of the Hollymoor Hospital Adolescent Unit (Irwin Unit). I was there for a year or less, in the 90s. You mentioned Patrick, I remember him and the tapes of R.E.M. he would play. And Maeve Mills? another teacher there who was a great support to me. A friend of mine while there was Louise and we went on a “date”, I wrote to her after discharge, only to be answered by her mum saying she was no longer living. I am in Australia now and started a family, I hope you are doing well.
Hi- thank you so much for your post, which I discovered a little while back and I’ve been uncertain whether to reply but think perhaps I should. I’ve memories of my own of Hollymoor. All a very long time ago now- I was a patient at the Adolescent Unit for about six months during mid-to-late 1975, having been admitted by Dr Erwin following something of a breakdown at school. I’d coped with primary school, which was Rednal Hill Junior School perfectly well- in fact I remember being quite happy there, but after a few months at Grammar School I found that I just couldn’t cope at all. Looking back I probably had some sort of ADHD- whatever the diagnosis I didn’t fit in with my peers and after a long bout of glandular fever when I returned it all rather fell to bits. The Adolescent Unit haunts me to this day (in truth, 1970’s Birmingham haunts me full stop) and, nostalgia being a powerful thing in middle age, I long to return. Strangely, whenever I think of the place there is usually a song in my head by David Gilmour, although these songs hadn’t been written then- they just seem appropriate, somehow and I’ve learned to associate them. The unit I remember was a 1960’s annexe- with a flat roof, I think, and the building was shared with another unit called Lambo Ward. The unit was, from memory, quite a long, linear building and consisted of a general lounge area, staff room and toilets and a long dormitory with partitions dividing the individual sleeping spaces. It was on the Rubery side of the hospital at the top of a grassy bank and you could look out and see trains from the Longbridge factory moving occasionally. There was a separate, similar building with classrooms. The above is all a bit vague as I was a day patient and only in the unit for a brief while before we were all de-camped to a ward in the main hospital whilst the Adolescent Unit was re-decorated. We went into a typical Victorian – actually more probably Edwardian- ward of the time, with big bay windows and armchairs around the edges. The staff were kind, without exception- a Nr Moon, a Mrs Menton and a New Zealand lady called Sue spring to mind. The smell of the main hospital was distinctive- if you open a tube of Savlon you’ll get it in one. I’d had an indirect connection to the hospital for a while as my mum had earlier been Librarian in the main building- about a year previously, it must have been because I remember her coming home from work late one night and telling us of the terrible IRA pub bombings that cast such a dreadful pall over the city. Mum had many stories to tell – some humorous, some macabre- and we went on a day trip once with the adult patients, on a coach to Rhyll. I remember this mainly because the coach broke down in the night on the way back and it all became a bit edgy. There’s a very evocative chapter in The Rotters’ Club by Jonathan Coe that refers (not by name but it’s pretty obvious) to Hollymoor and if you haven’t discovered him yet then give his books a try- he’s very local.
Thanks so much for sharing your memories, John!
i Was at holly moor adolescent unit from around 1977 or 1978.
Great staff – Great teachers at the School = MARY HILL – DAVE MOON – PETER ? PHILIP ?.
One of the Best times of my life – Thank you all for your help.
..Think its TONY MOON .
I’ve already written a post on here above yours a a while ago..I’m a former ex patient of the adolescent unit at hollymoor hospital ward 31 PYCHISTRIST was dr Edwina Erwin I was admitted aged 14 when I wasn’t able to cope well at ordinary school..I wrote about the former teachers in the school right opposite the ward .. From what I remember was Patrick one of the teachers their he did photography as we had a dark room their in those two huts as many former patients on our ward took it in turns to do photographs & develop them ..Mary Patrick & Frank where the previous three teachers when I used to be their I spent six months in hollymoor hospital aged 14 years & I’m now in my late forties & my former name was Abigail castle & I’m now married so I became a Hodgson …They had friendly nursing staff at that time I havent been back since its closure it was such along time ago but I had happy experiences of the place its self & some friendly patients who I came across previously at that former psychiatric hospital I went to a specialist residential school once I left hollymoor hospital ..I had some good& bad times due to my mental health issues in the hospital but the staff treated me well from what I can remember of it …. It was in the former grounds of Rubery hill hospital .. Dr Erwin the adolescent PYCHISTRIST was ok I didn’t really experience many problems as such under her .. I remember she had glasses on & grey hair quite a slim smart built lady probably in her fifties from guessing although I may be wrong & the other doctor working with her was dr Armond I always remember their names as my long term memory is pretty good ..I was in hollymoor in the early 1980,s my godmother was in the adult ward right next door to the adolescent unit I can also remember at the very front of the adolescent unit was a wooden hut ajoimg the adolescent unit where dr Edwina Erwin was based & dr Armond I was found to have a learning disability while I was at that very hospital ..I also have autism hense why my long term mental is pretty good ….
I worked at hollymoor for eight yrs as a ward orderly on nights,my mother, sister Mary Nolan regularly worked the night
Shift on the Lambo ward which was next to the Adolescent unit and it was a ward for female patients. The patients on the adalessant
Unit regulary got on the roof on lambo ward and refused to come down , my mother told them to stay on the roof for the night
And closed the doors,they soon came down.
unit.
Regularly
Hello Kevin, I believe I remember you from some night shifts. Are you the officer who kept a snake ? Mary Nolan I can definitely remember and she was really nice and helpful, caring and engaged well with all patients as did Donna Blick, the Irish sister on the Lambo ward.
Now I was admitted on Lambo ward in mid 1990. There were both male and female patients there then. Do you remember and I think around 23 or 24 September 1990, one evening or two, there was a temporary female night nurse who was covering the whole of Lambo ward and I distinctly remember from staff and other patients that she drugged or gave a sleeping injection to the patients and then stole not only other nurses belongings, but also from us patients during that time. I remember I had two five pound notes and loose change for the phone box outside and she stole that after giving me a sleeping injection. I am not sure what was ever done about her as it was difficult at the time for us patients to voice grievance about this and we were not believed. We were never told about that wicked, nasty nurse, but were made aware from other staff that a locum nurse had taken personal belongings from other nurses, staff during that time. There was something definitely not right during late September 1990 on Lambo Ward. There was also a nurse Angela on the Lambo ward who was also really nice, caring, helpful and who also engaged really well with the patients too. I remember that there was an Dr De Munschi who was a locum doctor I believe as we were told and he was not at all nice, helpful and couldn’t care less. I remember there were patients Steven Miliband and Carlton who we all got on well.
Hello Kevin, I was a patient on the Lambo Ward in late 1989. I remember your mother Kevin and yourself too I believe. Were you the nurse who kept a pet snake as you talked about this ? Mary Nolan was really nice and comforted all the patients to make them happy and I remember her for the breakfast times on the Ward and she sometimes mentioned kippers in some amusement. There was also a Donna Blick who was a sister on the ward, nurse Angela was nice too and the doctors DeMunschi and Dr Rai. I also made good friends with another patient called Stephen Milligan. I’ve just seen this history on the hospital as I didn’t realise it had closed down. I was discharged in December 1989. I had moved away from the Midlands as I had a new, job and apartment.
I worked at hollymoor 1969 to 1973. I worked in the pathology laboratory as a technician.. Along with Dave Pardoe and Tony Best and Sally Allen
I regretted leaving . I left because I thought working for the medical research council sounded more exciting but it wasn’t.
The health and safety executive would have had a field day with some of the day to day practices that went on in the lab. But in those days it was standard.
Some of the nursing staff I remember were Patrick Mullally,Breda Hesnan and Gabrielle McAleavy.
Hello, I had sent an email in October last year about my experience at Hollymoor hospital. It does not appear to have been acknowledged. Had you received my email at all?
I was in the adolescent unit in 1973 when Betty Green worked there, what a wonderful lady she was. I would love to know if anyone can remember me. My best mate in there was Paul Banister, I would love to know if he’s still around I’ve not seen him since 1973 we ran away and stayed out a couple of nights. The staff were lovely i member Mr COE, a Chinese man
I also remember Dr Edna Erwin also. If Paul Bannister is reading this get in touch, I would love to hear from you or if anyone knows of him let him know I was asking after him.
I was I the adolescent unit 1981 aunty bet was my favorite my time there saved my life I met some great ppl and have never thought my time there was wasted .