Nurse Harvey’s Hospital, Cordwainer House, West Barrack St.
Graeme Davis’ well known local history book “In Pioneer’s Footsteps” indicates that the Harvey Sisters operated a maternity hospital in Cordwainer House, 33 West Barrack St, Deloraine. A generation of Meander Valley grandparents and great grandparents were born there from 1919-1936. He also noted that the nature of the business conducted there previously was ‘lost in the mists of time”. We shed some light on the early history of the house and the history of Harvey’s hospital.
Nurse and Midwife, Margaret Harvey (1886-1942), relocated from her hospital in LaTrobe to operate a maternity and general nursing hospital in leased premises at 33 West Barrack St, Deloraine. It was one of several maternity hospitals operating in Deloraine at the time: Nurse Maxwell’s hospital at Restella House and Nurse Stone’s Private Hospital, Tarcombe House, West Church St. Harvey’s hospital opened in late 1919 when the Spanish influenza pandemic reached Tasmania. The property was leased from John Richard Abey, William Arthur Abey and Nathaniel Hart who inherited the property from Mr and Mrs William Abey upon their deaths in the early 1900s. William Abey was a cordwainer (i.e. bootmaker not cobbler), apparently the most prosperous amongst Fred Owen, Arthur Scott and Peter Clengliffer who also worked in Barrack St.
Margaret Harvey was the primary practitioner at the hospital and employed her younger sisters Rosa May (1887-1957) and Sarah Jane (Jean)(1886-1944) to provide care at the hospital too. Local medical practitioners Drs Frank Cole, Grounds and Rail Robertson attended the hospital at various times and conducted basic surgical procedures. The Harvey sisters were born in Osmaston and were not related to the owners of the nearby Harvey’s Mill. In the 1930’s their father sold the Osmaston farm and moved nearby to them in West Barrack St.
1940s photograph of the house sitting lonely in the midst of the large block of land, most likely when it was converted to a private residence. Source: Unknown from owners.
A rear view of Nurse Harvey’s hospital c. 1930 with two of the Harvey sisters in the photograph. This is the earliest photograph of the house, showing tin roof and access to a cellar on the lower right. The brick fireplace, presumably attached to a kitchen/laundry, and the rear landing are no longer standing. The cordyline tree in the right of the picture was removed in 2021. Source: Deloraine Folk Museum.
Births
Based upon Birth notices in local newspapers (mainly The Examiner and The Advocate), there were at least 70 births at the hospital over the fifteen year period of its operation. James Vaughan Clarke was the first child born at the hospital on 07 August 1919, very shortly after it opened. There is a long list of local family surnames amongst those born at the hospital: Badcock, Furmage, Best, How and Miles to name a few. There were two pairs of twins born – the Spencer girls in 1925 and the Blair children in 1929. There was only one still-birth reported (in 1921), which is unusual given the pandemic at the time of opening, but under-reporting may be a reflection of social customs. More expansive record searches are bringing further births records to light.
General nursing
The Harvey sisters also provided general medical care and respite care for elderly locals. There were several accidents in busy (West) Barrack St where victims were conveyed to the nearby hospital. In 1921, Mrs Stagg was admitted for shock following a fall from her buggy in West Barrack St after her horse was startled and bolted. A few years later in 1934, a motorcyclist collided with pedestrian Effie Atkins outside the Don Store, leading to her admission to Nurse Harvey’s hospital. Alfred Radford (1928) was admitted following a farm accident and Mrs Bye, wife of Methodist minister Reverend Bye, resided at the hospital for post operative care.
There were several deaths recorded at the hospital too. Shearer Jack Venn died in December 1921 following a motorcycle accident at Mole Creek and Mr John Barry of Devonport also died in 1924 following a protracted illness. The last recorded event at the hospital was the admission of 18 year old Arthur Philpot of Meander who was admitted after suffering a hand injury following a rifle misfire in January 1934. If the Social Gossip section of The Advocate is to be believed, it appears that Nurse Harvey’s Hospital closed in 1936, just after Miss Winch’s recovery from “bronchial trouble”. Dr Cole’s residence Arcoona was converted to a hospital in 1937.
If you have any photographs of further information about Harvey’s Hospital or Cordwainer House at 33 West Barrack St, please email cordwainerhouse1863@gmail.com
