Pinley Smallpox Hospital

Details here from the Hospital Records Database Can anyone please identify the location?

The isolation hospital was built in 1897 on, as was known then, Pinley Hill Farm, aka Stoke Aldermoor (or part of).

A bit more info on Pinley Hospital.. PINLEY SMALLPOX HOSPITAL. A separate hospital for smallpox was built at Pinley Hill in 1897. It was run by the city council and had accommodation for sixteen beds and an isolation block. It was built at a time when the anti-vaccination campaign in Coventry was at its height and the number of unvaccinated children reached alarming proportions. The Anti-Vaccination Society carried out a census in 1892-3 to show that the majority of Coventry's citizens opposed compulsory vaccination, which was in the hands of the board of guardians. The society even tried, unsuccessfully, to establish a medical service of its own. By 1895-6, when only 3.9 per cent. of the children born that year were vaccinated, the Vaccination Acts had become a 'dead letter', but people were still being prosecuted for refusing to have their children vaccinated in 1902. Coventry was described in 1926 as 'still largely unvaccinated' and in the years between 1921 and 1926 the percentage of children vaccinated varied between 9.2 per cent. and 35.75 per cent., the latter occurring in 1925, a smallpox year. In 1930 only 22 per cent. were vaccinated. By this time, however, the cause was generally apathy, rather than the more positive prejudice and ignorance of the 1890s. The situation improved after the National Health Service Act provided a general voluntary vaccination scheme. In view of the generally unvaccinated state of the population it is surprising that the smallpox hospital was not in greater use. There were 71 cases in 1903, 72 in 1925, 77 in 1927 and 126 in 1928 but for most years there were fewer than ten and from the 1920s Pinley Hospital took cases from Nuneaton, Atherstone, and Foleshill as well as Coventry. When, as was frequent, there were no smallpox cases, the hospital was closed. In 1901 it was used as a convalescent scarlet fever hospital and there was a proposal in 1908 to convert it into a tuberculosis sanatorium, but the site was not suitable. With the gradual elimination of smallpox Pinley ceased to be used as a hospital and the buildings are now (1964) used as a store.

My father had an allotment in Humber Rd, over the road was a rough track leading to the smallpox hospital. Today the location is at where C H Technical at Seven Stars industry estate is. At the side where the footbridge crosses the railway line.

Hi Joe, welcome to the forum Thanks for the information. It all adds up.