Peoples Stories - Bevendean History Project
Carol Hamilton remembers Dr Roberts at Bevendean
I
do not remember the surgery when it was in Leybourne Road opposite the
shops, because I was too young, but my mum remembers going there. Mum
told me that the brick building on the left of No. 1 Leybourne Road was
built for the doctor’s surgery, it was her consultation room, and
the hall was used as a waiting room. Dr Roberts only had a few patients
at that time; it’s funny how they could set up just like that in
an ordinary house.
- The surgery in Leybourne Road opened in 1952, which was the year I was born.
- Dr Robert saw me into the world, at that time we were living at Norwich Drive. Dr Roberts had a housekeeper who also acted as receptionist. I think the housekeeper was Irish but I may have got her muddled with Dr Roberts who was Irish. On one occasion the housekeeper gave mum money to take one of my brothers to the hospital as she hadn’t got the money for the bus fare.
- I’ve always wondered why Dr Roberts moved to Bevendean but I still don’t know. Dr Roberts’ husband’s name was Mr Kidd, he was a driving instructor. I think his first name was Thomas, and he taught me to drive in the 1980s.
As Dr Roberts practice grew she bought some land and had the bungalow
and surgery built in Heath Hill Avenue. Two rooms of this were used for
her surgery and waiting room.
The Willows Surgery completed in 1959.- Dr Roberts practiced for several years without a receptionist and when
she decided to engage one she had an extension built. The extension was
used for a waiting room and the old waiting room was used as the office
for the receptionist. (Permission for the extension was given in March
1974).
Looking at a photograph of the Willow surgery today, the bit on the end
closest to Auckland Drive was the garage, the right-hand end of the
ground floor in Heath Hill Avenue was always her surgery the left-hand
end of the ground floor was her living quarters. She had a conservatory
at the back. The surgery kitchen today was originally the garage and
the original waiting room was very small.
I have a photograph taken about 1986 when
we moved back into the surgery after it was all done up. We had to go
into Portacabins and then come back, it was like a full circle and this
was when Dr Pritchard took over from Dr Mary Roberts who retired on 1st
August 1986. Dr Roberts moved back to Armagh in Northern Ireland.
Dr Pritchard started as a locum and then,
like Dr. Roberts, became a permanent GP; the others have all been
locums or salaried GP’s. Dr. Pritchard bought the surgery when he
took over from Dr. Roberts. We had to go into the house and help
clear it out prior to the refurbishment, that was myself and Yvonne
Raynsford who was the practice manager when I first started work at the
Willow as a part time receptionist.
Dr Pritchard practiced there for 19 years, when he left on 31 December 2003 it was taken over by the PTC then Chilvers & McRae and now The Practice plc.
Dr Pritchard practiced there for 19 years, when he left on 31 December 2003 it was taken over by the PTC then Chilvers & McRae and now The Practice plc.
The Willows Surgery Staff in 2012. Left to right: - Sarah Ray, Carol
Hamilton, Tina Call, Barbara Nevell (Health Care Assistant), Jeanette
Idle, Dr Neil Myers GP who worked at the surgery from 1st February 2012
to 31 March 2013.Carol Hamilton - 28th May 2014
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