Liverpool Maternity Hospital

Liverpool Women's Hospital
Liverpool Women's NHS Trust
Former building of the Liverpool Maternity Hospital
Location in Liverpool Show map of Liverpool Location in Merseyside Show map of Merseyside
Geography
Location	Oxford Street Liverpool L7 7BN, England
Coordinates	53°24′12″N2°57′53″W / 53.4032°N 2.9647°W / 53.4032; -2.9647
Organisation
Care system	Public NHS
Type	Specialist
Affiliated university	University of Liverpool, Liverpool John Moores University
Services
Emergency department	No
Speciality	Obstetrics and gynaecology, Neonatology
History
Opened	November 1841
Links
Lists	Hospitals in England

The Liverpool Maternity Hospital was established as the Lying-in Hospital and Dispensary for the Diseases of Women and Children in Horatio Street, Scotland Road, Liverpool, in November 1841. It was replaced by the Liverpool Women's Hospital in November 1995.

History

The hospital was established as the Lying-in Hospital and Dispensary for the Diseases of Women and Children in Horatio Street, Scotland Road, Liverpool, in November 1841. ^[1] It moved to Pembroke Place in 1845 and to Myrtle Street in 1862 and, having become the Ladies Charity and Lying-In Hospital in 1869, it moved to new purpose-built facilities in Brownlow Street in 1885. ^[1]

A foundation stone for a new facility in Oxford Street was laid by the Princess Mary, Viscountess Lascelles in March 1924 and it was officially opened by Christiana Hartley, the social and welfare rights activist, as the Liverpool Maternity Hospital in September 1926. ^[1] Famous people born in the hospital included John Lennon who was born there in October 1940. ^[2] It joined the National Health Service in 1948. ^[1] The Walton sextuplets were born to Graham and Janet (née Leadbetter) Walton at the hospital in November 1983. ^[3]

After services transferred to the Liverpool Women's Hospital, the Liverpool Maternity Hospital closed in November 1995 ^[4] and has since been converted into student accommodation. ^[5]

Notable staff

Notable staff include:

• Ethel Mary Cauty, OBE (1872–1962) Matron, 1907–1938. ^{[6] [7] [8]} During her thirty one year matronship the hospital increased dramatically in size – from 21 beds to 100, with over 2500 deliveries per annum by 1938. ^[9] She was well regarded by the nursing staff and was renowned for her devotion to the mothers and babies. ^[9] Cauty trained at The London Hospital, under Matron Eva Luckes. ^[6] After which she trained as a midwife at York Road Lying in Hospital, London. ^[9] She was a founder member of the College of Nursing, later the Royal College of Nursing. ^[8]

Notable births

• John Lennon, English musician and political activist (b. 1940) ^[10]

References

1. "Records of the Liverpool Maternity Hospital". Discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk. Retrieved 16 December 2018.
2. "John Lennon and Julia Lennon black plaque in Liverpool". Blue Plaque Places. Retrieved 16 December 2018.
3. "Richard Cooke - Pioneering Children's Doctor". By the Dart. Retrieved 17 December 2018.
4. Pye, Ken (2011), Discover Liverpool, Liverpool: Trinity Mirror Media, p. 10, ISBN   978-1-906802-90-5
5. "Foundation stone for new maternity hospital". Merchant Taylors. Retrieved 17 December 2018.
6. Rogers, Sarah (2022). 'A Maker of Matrons’? A study of Eva Lückes’s influence on a generation of nurse leaders:1880–1919' (Unpublished PhD thesis, University of Huddersfield, April 2022)
7. "New Matron at The Maternity". Evening Express: 3. 7 June 1939.
8. "Retirement: Miss Cauty". Nursing Times . 34 (1719): 422. 9 April 1938 – via Gale.
9. "Miss Cauty". Nursing Notes . 51 (606): 96. June 1938 – via Gale Primary Sources.
10. "The Beatles: Heritage campaigners bid to protect Fab Four birthplaces". BBC News. 21 December 2023. Retrieved 17 October 2025.

Media related to Liverpool Maternity Hospital at Wikimedia Commons