Forums Forums Wirral History : Chasing the Past History Information Request Bidston Avenue Primary - Hospital?

I've taught a few times at this school, they're currently having building work done and I used the sink in the temporary office to wash my hands. It is a Victorian era sink I believe and the toilet was positively ancient with a high cistern etc (although still there it is actually condemned) It could be Victorian too but I am unsure - looking at pictures on Google it could be??

Anyway, I was talking to the secretary about it and she said the school was coming up to it's 100 years soon but it had been a hospital beforehand. Does anyone know anything about this? What kind of hospital was it?

Thanks

Very interesting if correct but there's no mention of it in Birkenhead Health, posted in History.

Most probably like Hamilton Secondary school it was used during WWI as a hospital.

Hi
I was always taught that the school was first a school but was used as a hospital during the war - not sure if this was first or second world war. I think it was built in 1914, so maybe it was WW2 it was used. All I know is it was for injured soldiers.

There is a blood stain on the floor in the cellar which is attributed to that era. We used to link it to the 'Blue Nun' story. Ask the secretary about that - she'll probably roll her eyes

Mersey Park primary was used as a hospital during WW1. There is a brass plaque on the wall inside the building {rember it from when I was there in the late 40s }

From what I remember Birkehead Corpy built a number of schools at that time but due to WWI they were taken over and used as hospitals before they became schools,I would have thought the town hall museum maybe able to help.

According to the info held at wirral Archives the school was completed just before the outbreak of WW1 and was immediately requisitioned for use as a Military Hospital. After the war the building remained empty & unfurnished until 1921, when they finally got around to opening it as a school. the surviving School Log Books do indeed start in that year.

Brilliant thanks everyone! I will ask the secretary about the bloodstain and blue nun tale then sounds interesting!

Let's just say that the story sent most years of the school into a frenzy. Most kids refused to go to the loo by themselves during lessons they were that scared!

The legend has it that she would wander around in the toilets of the juniors - now the library and staff loos. Not sure why a nun would hang around in loos unless she needed to spend a penny just before she died

People used to try and scare each other by doing silly things like leaving blue handprints (poster paint) on the tiles in there.

Also, the water stains around the chimney on the infants - which you can see from the juniors when you're upstairs, were supposed to look like a woman's white hair.

People would even claim they had heard the bell ring over in Flaybrick Lodge house and blame the nun!

I wonder if there are any staff left that would remember the tale.

Oh god now I'm scared!! The toilets are scary though anyway... we'll have to ask around the staff - surely there's some who will remember??

I'm not in this week but I will certainly be asking next week!!

Don't think it was hospital beforehand as it was built with money from the 1909/11 Education Board Acts and there was already a hospital in the area over the road at the southern end of Flaybrick Cemetery

that was the diphtheria hospital. it was probably built s a school originally but was temporarily used as a hospital during either ww1 or ww2