- P Mayer -
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My apologies for not replying sooner.
I assume your uncle came from South London, as Fairby Grange was owned
then by Bermondsey Borough Council. The following description is from
"The Bermondsey Story", a biography of the local MP, Alfred
Salter, who bought Fairby and donated it to the borough in 1923.
"We have already told of Dr Salter's gift to Bermondsey of
Fairby Grange, the old-world mansion at Hartley in Kent, with its 20
acres of gardens, lawns, fruit orchards and woodlands. Once again
Bermondsey was a pioneer: Fairby became the first municipal
convalescent home in Britain. It was used primarily for mothers after
child-birth, but from November to February, when the pressure for
accommodation was less, women recovering from operations or illness
were admitted, and the Board of Guardians retained 2 beds for this
purpose; during this period mothers could also bring with them two
children under 5 years of age. 14 women were accommodated, and their
stay was usually a fortnight. A matron and trained nurse were in
charge, and for a fee of 5 shillings a week (increased if a larger sum
could be afforded) a Bermondsey mohter and her baby received all the
care and comfort ordinarily reserved in such establishmentsw for
wealthy patients. A visit to Fairby was a memorable change in drab,
hardworking lives; the rest, the home-grown fruit and vegetables, the
fresh air and the beauty of the country made the experience
"heaven" (their favourite description) to most of the
women."
The author says that in the first 3 years 1,246 mothers, stayed at
Fairby. The gardens there provided tree saplings and vegetables for
Bermondsey. Consumptives (people with TB) also stayed at Fairby,
although the book seems to date this mainly to the days before
Bermondsey took it over.
You are right in guessing that the prams look like baskets - the prams
were a familiar sight locally and the babies were named "basket
babies" locally for this reason. |
