Two views of Hartburn Lodge Cottage on Harlsey Road, Hartburn. Taken 22nd June 1989.
Picture Stockton Archive
A Pictorial History of Stockton-on-Tees
Two views of Hartburn Lodge Cottage on Harlsey Road, Hartburn. Taken 22nd June 1989.
I used to stay at Hartburn lodge for respite and it was an amazing place to stay
I did part of my nursery nurse (NNEB) training at Hartburn Lodge between 1973-1974. It was a happy place and the playroom in the attic room was lovely with a huge rocking horse. The hallway was oak panelling. I remember matron. She came in to the family rooms every morning at breakfast time to say good morning to the children. I also remember Mrs Dick in the baby room.
We took the babies out in large black prams for walks. It was hard work, but rewarding. My hours were 8am till 6pm. I walked there and back from Fairfield.
I used to work in the main building inside the grounds which was itself called ‘Hartburn Lodge’ as a trainee NNEB Nursery Nurse from 1972 – 1974 (aged 16 – 18yrs). The building in the picture was occupied by the then Matron and her husband. Hartburn Lodge was a home for NHS socially deprived children from birth to 5 years of age. Some staff (myself included) lived in the old staff quarters on the top of the 3 floors of Hartburn Lodge. The children lived in ‘family’ groups on the second floor (there were 3 ‘families’ each with their own Group ‘Mother’ and dedicated staff of about 3 or 4 trainee Nursery Nurses per to each family group) and the ground floor were the 3 family play rooms, the baby room (for children admitted from birth until they were potty trained as a rule after which they ‘went up’ into a family group), kitchen, laundry, staff room, reception and Matron’s office. Huge gardens kept very well maintained by Matron’s husband for the children to play in.
I’d love to hear from anyone who worked there during those years! It was hard work, shift work/nights; 10 days on and 4 days off as I recall. But the children were very well looked after and I loved my days there.
My mum Mrs Dick worked in the baby unit during this time, don’t know if you remember her?
Jumping into this thread a bit late but I was a baby in Hartburn Lodge during this time and I remember it being a large imposing manor house with a big gravelly drive area. It was a beautiful old house which seemed huge to me then! I remember a matron and nurses all being very kind with the children. Was the matron called Elsie by any chance? We used to call a kindly lady Aunty Elsie.
Maybe this was called the Lodge but there was a main house inside the grounds, and it was this building that I thought was in fact called the Lodge.
The building shown was occupied by a couple of caretakers as I recall.
Quite right Denis, the description of the images “Hartburn Lodge Cottage” is more accurate than the title. On earlier maps it’s just marked as “Lodge”, with the main house marked as “Hartburn Lodge”. So I guess it could also be described as “the Lodge at Hartburn Lodge” or “Hartburn Lodge’s Lodge” 🙂