Gulson Road Hospital

Hi, thanks for sharing these memories! I have similar ones and they weren't very nice! My eye 'turned in' when I had measles in 1958. I had to go to Cov and Warwick Hospital once a week. I was a wimpy little girl and cried every time. Of course, that affected my eyes and they couldn't examine them properly. We didn't have much money and mum used to despair about the waste of bus fares and the embarrassment of wasting the hospital's time. Eventually, by wearing my glasses all the time, my eye corrected itself and I avoided the dreaded op! Yes, I got called four eyes-double conk Such is life!

In 1951, when I was seven I was admitted to the 'Women's Surgical Ward' at Gulson Road hospital to have my tonsils and adenoids removed. I remember the card coming in the post saying that there would be a bed for me in a couple of day's time. That afternoon mum took me to town to buy new pyjamas and slippers. On the way back from town we called in the Co-op and I was allowed to choose a bar of soap to take with me to hospital. I chose a bar of pink 'apple blossom'; it must have been quite a treat because I've never forgotten it. Then mum cut up an old sheet into handkerchief size pieces, she said I would need these as my nose might bleed after the operation. I vividly remember the ward; it was long with beds on either side and the sister's desk in the centre. I don't recall the day of the operation but can remember waking in the night and sister coming to me and putting the cut-up pieces of sheet under my mouth and nose. The next day I was woken at 6am and given a cup of tea. Then the nurses came round and gave each patient a bowl of warm water for them to have a wash. After breakfast, the cleaners came and all the beds were pushed into the centre of the ward for them to clean. Afterwards the nurses made the beds so tightly that you could hardly move. Then, it was time for matron's round, a formidable sight, matron spoke to every patient asking how they were; all the patients said they were alright, although some must have been in terrible pain after their operations. The only thing I remember about the food was that they put salt in your dessert spoon for you to sprinkle on you dinner. Unfortunately no one told me this and I had salt all over my ice-cream, not good when your throat is red raw! Another thing strange thing I remember is that they used to have a set time when patients could smoke in their beds!

Dutchman's recent posts have highlighted the demolition of Gulson Hospital with this link I thought I'd take a look today - here's what I found Totally gone, the remaining buildings behind the Gulson Clinic, which is also no more

Only to become a car park for Coventry University

And they've not long built a multi-storey for them close by! Shouldn't University students have bikes?

A lot of demolition, but little construction. Coventry is starting to look more like a car park than a city!

I must admit I'm astonished by some of the comments I've just read; I was admitted to all the hospitals in Coventry during my childhood, Whitley, Keresley, Cov. & Warks, Paybody and Gulson, the last named being by far the superior. Sage was the children's ward during all the years I visited what my mother called my second home (1945-1956) and I had first class treatment and felt loved and protected. Sister Shannon was in charge throughout and Mr. Harry Parry-Williams was the consultant.

Further to my previous post: Matron M. Donagh was a very competent and fastidious presence, visiting each patient every day and opening every door, even the linen cupboard and if she found it untidy demanded it be sorted. Later I 'graduated' to a side-ward reserved for adolescent boys on Cleaver Ward where another splendid individual, Sister Sue Lyons, was in charge.

Hi to you all on this thread I am feeling every vibe as I read these accounts. Real people, with real lives, recounting real events. How much closer to home can history get? Thank you all

Much depends upon why one is in hospital and how long. I had three stays, two in Gulson Road where I was too young to know what was happening, and one stay in Cov & Warks where I was in for month (August 8 - Sept 7 1970) while they decided how to put me back together again. My experience was all good, but it was Philip Ward (orthopaedic) and while many on the ward were in various states of re-assembly, we were all late teens victims of RTA's and none of us felt like we might have had we required 'surgical' work. Even after a stay of one month, I was not on any name terms with Matron, and the only reason that I knew the names of the two ward sisters was because Sister Hanson was the younger pretty one, and Sister Thomas was the 'firecracker'. lol.

When I was five and recovering in the children's ward from a serious operation I was woken one morning by the sound of strange voices surrounding my bed, accompanied by a very strong smell of floor polish. I pretended to still be asleep hoping the voices would go away. Eventually I could pretend no longer and opened my eyes to be confronted by two cleaning women recently arrived from the West Indies. My immediate thought was "Those poor women have got floor polish all over their faces!". Seeing my reaction one the women turned to her colleague and said in an accent that would be considered very trendy these days: "De boy hain't nevah seen a black woman before!" at which point both woman laughed hysterically.

Further to my previous posts on this thread. I was admitted to Sage Ward at least three times a year (conservative estimate) from the age of eighteen months until twelve years. thereafter boy's side-wards on two male wards and Gulson remains very high in my estimation. I have in fact been an in patient in thirteen hospitals in my lifetime, the best being Ward 1, The Churchill, Oxford, which specialised in haemophilia, and the second, Gulson Road. If number one is the best it follows that number thirteen was the worst, namely Paybody Orthopaedic which a past patient referred to in the Cov. Telegraph as 'Harsh, but fair'. I agee that the regime was harsh, but treating children as young as six or seven harshly is far from being fair. My memories of both Gulson and Paybody can be read in the biography of my childhood 'What Are Yer? Bleeder!' I'm not urging forumites to buy a copy but it would be false modesty not to mention it. By the way does anyone know when Gulson's children's ward switched from Sage with its 'verandah', or as I knew it 'balcony', to Griffiths with a TV room at the end?

Just reading all the contributions to this topic I thought what a small world it is and and don't people retain incredible memories of their childhood. I was a child patient of Gulson Road Hospital in the late 50's for, I think, about 6 weeks and then on to Bramcote Convalescent Home for many months so this post has brought back so many mainly pleasant memories of both hospitals. Sage Ward used the glassed-in veranda as a classroom and afternoon day-room for us children to get some much needed vitamin D. All children were taught as though they were 5 years old no matter what their age ! That was where I first gained my extensive musical skills - I learned to play the triangle I think the teacher was called a Mr Garrett. My bed was two from the end of the ward close to the veranda with a large green linen press in the corner. Sister Shannon was well liked by the children dressed in her purple uniform and tall, bespectacled Dr Parry-Williams was so well respected in Coventry for his wonderful work with children. From my many months staying at Bramcote I recall elegant blonde Nurse Whitlock and her close friend, short, dark haired, Irish Nurse O'Brien. Then there was a slightly tubby Sister Mainwaring who could only play, what I was to find out later, was what piano students play on the corner piano over and over again! Do any former Bramcote patients recall them or other staff?

I remember those awful Nationl Health specs with the wire that went round the ears. I had to wear them from 5 years onwards and in fact I still have a photo of me wearing them but no-one is going to see it. lol

Oh go on Tilly, that's what makes this forum FUN, no I would not laugh, I had a friend at Moseley Avenue school who had to wear some of those and she had an Elastoplast over one eye, and yes children can be so cruel some times.