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I went in the late 60s/early 70s when it was a place for people in desperate situations to stay. A refuge for some. It was a last resort place and we would leave with a very sad feeling. Thankfully the person we visited got assistance in getting a home. I haven't and never will forget the place, I visited a couple of times. The name at the time was Greet House or something similar. Once you have visited a place like that, it really makes you appreciate what you have, no matter how meagre, it is a home.

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I believe Bagthorpe in Basford was also originally a workhouse. My great grandmother Lucy Saunt was taken to Bagthorpe Hospital in the 1920s, where she died. I was told she suffered from dementia. Bearing in mind that she had given birth to 12 children, 6 of whom died as babies, one died of a brain tumour at 15 and another was blown to pieces by a German shell in 1915, I'm not surprised the poor woman had mental problems.

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3 hours ago, Jill Sparrow said:

I believe Bagthorpe in Basford was also originally a workhouse. My great grandmother Lucy Saunt was taken to Bagthorpe Hospital in the 1920s, where she died.

 

Indeed. The buildings originally constructed as  Bagthorpe Workhouse formed the basis of what is now the City Hospital. The north entrance has survived relatively unchanged.

kymU2LI.jpg

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Very true, CT. Lucy's death certificate gives her place of demise as 700 Hucknall Road. Her cause of death as cerebral thrombosis and senility. It was certified by T W Sheldon MRCS. She was 74.

 

My mother, who didn't remember her grandma, said that Lucy's remaining children told her they were taking her out for the day ...and Bagthorpe is where they took her! Mum said that, when she was a child, the very mention of the name struck terror into people! I'm not surprised.

 

Lucy became a widow in 1925 and obviously struggled to look after herself. She had a tragic life, poor lady, as did so many others of those times.

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6 hours ago, Jill Sparrow said:

...... and another was blown to pieces by a German shell in 1915, I'm not surprised the poor woman had mental problems.

Jill , was the son called Archie living at 120 Birkin Ave ? 

If so there's a photo of him from 1915  I could post . 

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Yes, David. Archie Saunt is my great uncle. He has always fascinated me but I have never seen a photograph of him. In fact, I think I've just found him.

 

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If I hadn't found this on the Nottinghamshire website, I'd have said it was my grandfather, Louis, Archie's older brother who survived the war. They look like twins.

 

My mother said Louis kept a framed photo of Archie on his bedroom wall, in which Archie wore his KRRC uniform. She said he looked exactly like her father. I do not remember ever seeing the photo. This image shows that he was a snappy dresser, just like Louis, who always wore stiff collars and a bow tie. I am thrilled to have found this missing piece of my family jigsaw!

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Same photo , the only doubt I had was that it said Archie was killed by a sniper rather than a shell .Either way tough luck !

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We know he was killed by a shell as Louis literally scraped up what was left and buried it in a sack. He fashioned a rough wooden cross with his brother's name on it. I was told a photograph of this grave hung next to the one of Archie in uniform on my grandad's bedroom wall.

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How tragic . No wonder your grandmother had mental problems . Maybe the caption on the photo was "sanitised" for the public's morale .

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  • 1 year later...
On 3/20/2018 at 11:29 AM, carni said:

I went in the late 60s/early 70s when it was a place for people in desperate situations to stay. A refuge for some. It was a last resort place and we would leave with a very sad feeling. Thankfully the person we visited got assistance in getting a home. I haven't and never will forget the place, I visited a couple of times. The name at the time was Greet House or something similar. Once you have visited a place like that, it really makes you appreciate what you have, no matter how meagre, it is a home.

 This is my post in the Southwell Workhouse Thread. 

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It was closed today when we visited. The place looked so foreboding and left us with a feeling of dread. So worth a visit really. Without going in, it left us with an awareness of what the workhouse period was all about. 

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