Ten years ago, this was my very first post. I have revised it and added some photographs that I took in 2018 when I was staying on the University of Sterling Campus.
The hospital was opened at the beginning of the Second World War, occupying the mansion house designed by Robert Adam in his castle style. The estates of Airthrey Castle were built on to form Stirling University. Adam drew up designs for Airthrey Castle in 1791, but was not involved with its construction. Building work was supervised by Thomas Russell of Seton.
The entrance front was rebuilt in 1891 to designs by David Thomson for Donald Graham, the chief partner in the firm of William Graham & Company, East India Merchants, of Glasgow, who had purchased the estate in 1889. Graham died in January 1901 of erysipelas, the house remaining in possession of his wife. In 1924 the shipowner Charles Donaldson leases the estate. He died at the castle in December 1938.
At the outbreak of the Second World War the Estate was acquired by the Ministry of Health as an Emergency Maternity Hospital administered by Stirling County Council, taking patients evacuated from Stirling, Glasgow and Clydebank. In mid-September 1939 the Stirling Observer reported that the castle was being fitted out with 25 to 30 beds (in the 1950s and ’60s it had 30 beds). By the beginning of November 1939 there had already been 40 patients at Airthrey Castle. The Allan Water Hotel in Bridge of Allan had also been taken over as a hospital for expectant mothers at the start of the war, but this also took patients from Dumbartonshire. The evacuation scheme had been carried out in just two days following the outbreak of the war. By January 1940 the Allan Water Hotel had been returned to its owners, its use as a hospital having been discontinued. The hotel had initially been kept in reserve. The need for large numbers of beds for the evacuation of Glasgow hospitals that had been anticipated at the start of the war had not materialised. Airthrey Castle was proving sufficient.
The castle remained in the ownership of the Graham family until after the war, having been put up for sale in November 1944. The advertisements for the sale noted that the Castle and ‘certain outbuildings’ with garden were temporarily occupied by the Local Authority as a War Emergency Maternity Hospital’.[Yorkshire Post and Leeds Intelligencer, 4 Nov . 1944, p.2.] The castle and estate were still being advertised fro sale in January 1945, when a large advertisement was place in Country Life. [Country Life, 12 Jan. 1945, p.8.] After the war, in November 1945, it was reported that there had been 2,050 births at Airthrey Castle since it opened. Sadly three mothers died during that time.[Falkirk Herald, 24 Nov. 1945, p.5.]
In March 1946 Stirling County Council decided to purchase Airthrey Castle and and part of the estate in order that the much-needed maternity hospital should remain open.[Falkirk Herald, 30 March 1946, p.5.] The purchase had been completed by the end of October that year. With the foundation of the National Health Service in 1948, the hospital passed to the Western Regional Health Board. A nurses’ home was built in 1953 to the south-east of the house. This L-shaped, two-storey, flat-roofed building appears has survived and was in use as a surgery/health centre for the University in the 1980s.
In 1965 arrangements were made for the transfer to the new University of Stirling of the Airthrey Castle Estate, although it remained in use as a maternity hospital until 1968-9. The hospital was replaced by new maternity units in Paisley and Stirling. The castle was listed in 1973 category B.
Sources unless otherwise given in the text above: Edinburgh Evening News, 23 Jan 1901: Dundee Courier, 1 Jan 1924: Western Daily Press, 8 Dec 1938: Stirling Observer, 14 Sept. 1939 p.3: The Scotsman, 3 Nov 1939, p.5: Dundee Courier, 15 Jan 1940: Dundee Evening Telegraph, 21 Feb 1944: PP ‘Report of the Department of Health for Scotland…’ 1953 c.9107: PP ‘Scottish Home and Health Department Review of the Hospital Plan for Scotland’ 1966 c.2877: OS maps.
Further Reading: N. Reid, ‘Airthrey Castle Maternity Hospital 1939-1948’, and E. Rose ‘Airthrey Castle Maternity Hospital 1948-1969’ in Report of Proceedings of the Society of the Scottish History of Medicine, 1988-9, pp.14-17
I was born here so was my sister and mother
Hi Jaqui, my name is James, i am part of a college group conducting a local investigation for our assessment, our topic is the history of Airthrey Castle in particular the maternity hospital. I myself was born there in 1968 and are trying to gather as much information or peoples experience as we can, if you could give any feedback it would be much appreciated
Hello James, uncertain if your interest in Airthrey Castle Maternity Hospital remains. I was born there in 1946…..
Kind regards, Dorothy Hallett
Hi I was born here also in 1969 🤣
I was born here at airthy castle on thkathare 27/12/1946.
I was born here in 1946.airthrey castle hospital .1946. looks beautiful.cant believe I finally found a photo of it .x.
Hi Katharine, my name is James, i am part of a college group conducting a local investigation for our assessment, our topic is the history of Airthrey Castle in particular the maternity hospital. I myself was born there in 1968 and are trying to gather as much information or peoples experience as we can, if you could give any feedback it would be much appreciated
Hello James, uncertain if your interest in Airthrey Castle Maternity Hospital remains. I was born there in 1946…..
Kind regards, Dorothy Hallett (born Dorothy Johanna Brouwer)
I was born here nov 1944 my dad was stationed in Scotland during the war,
Hello , what documentation do you have about the November 1944 Knight Frank & Rutley sale ? I am doing an investigation about this particular sale and I am not able to find ANYTHING regarding the auction. Please get in contact with me to see if you can help me !
Have you tried the National Monuments Record of Scotland? Local libraries or the county archives would also be likely to have useful records.
Do you have a website ? Some useful link ? Thank you !
http://www.historicenvironment.scot/archives-and-research will take you to information about he NMRS and my.stirling.gov.uk/archives for the county archives of Stirlingshire
I was born in Airthrey Castle 1st April 1940 Samuel Benson Beattie
I remember my mother telling me when she arrived at Airthrey Castle the snow was very deep,and she was carried up the stairs of the Main Entrance by Staff at the Castle.
She described the room she was in as having round walls.
I was around 12yrs when she told me about this,unfortunately I dont remember anything more about what she said.
I’am at present researching my Family Tree and would like to know about anything happening around the time of my Birth at the Castle.in 1940.
It would be fascinating to have a look at the local newspapers from that time. You should be able to do this online through your local public library.
I was an unwanted child dumped. If not for this institution which I believed saved my life as a newborn on 5 January 1960i would never off enjoyed the 59 years I’ve atefully. A.R. Baxter
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I was born in the hospital in 1954
I was born 23/10/1954
I was born UPSTAIRS in the castle Dec. 1942 (Dianne Hendrie). My best friend was born downstairs Feb.1943 (Janette Turnbull). She tells everyone I am older than her. My revenge is to say I was born UPSTAIRS, lol. Robert O’Brien,my cousin, also born at Airthrey Castle.
jy sister Kathie was born there on Dec 8th 1942. My mum had been evacuated from Clydebank after the Blitz. She was so far away from all her friends and family as my dad was posted abroad. She said they were very kind to her.
My mum gave birth to my 2 brothers here. One in 1947 , the other in 1952. What I can’t understand is, my sister and myself were born 1955 and 1957, but delivered at home. My mum is no longer here so I can’t ask her. I would have liked to have been born in a castle lol
Born here in April 1944 like many folk from Clydebank after the Blitz. My father said he had to take three buses to get to Airthrey Castle from Clydebank to visit my mother.
My dad Robert Barron was born here from the blitz 23 05 1941 he was from clydebank
I was born in Lennox Castle 70 years ago today (10th of June 1949). A part of the asylum was made into a maternity wing after the war. My mother was unlucky enough to find herself in that place, where horror stories abound. She told me that in inmates of the asylum were used as hospital orderlies, pushing trollies around the maternity wards; they were a constant presence. Mum was so traumatised by my birth in those horrendous conditions that her nerves got the better of her. In the end, dad had to sign a waver to have her discharged. She vowed never to have another baby, but my brother was born 8 years later in Melbourne Australia. Mum died recently, but whenever she had had to be admitted to hospital, she would relate to the doctors and nurses the nightmare of my birth.I feel very lucky to have survived Lennox Castle and to have made it to my 70th birthday.
I was born there 0n 16/4/1948,we immigrated to Australia 1951,what a stupid thing to do,finished getting polio
I was born there on the 11 December 1943, my mother was sent there from 129 High Street Dumbarton ,we lived next to Denny’s shipyard. Now live in Brisbane Australia, great to say “i was born in a castle aaah fun and games.”
I was born in Airthrey Castle on 1st April 1940
But according to records it was only opened in 1941 can anyone enlighten me on this.
I was born here in February 1948, to a South African mother and a Scots father, Tanya and Tom Main. We eventually settled in South Africa, and I now live in Cape Town. I have met one other person in SA whose daughter was born at the castle some years later. We must be scattered all over the globe.
Born there in 1947 my parents were from Laurieston . My birth certificates looks great
Myself and my wife were also born in Airthrey castle in 1968. I had meningitis when I was in there and wasn’t expected to survive. I would love to hear from anyone who worked there at that time. I still get goosebumps everytime I see this beautiful building.
I was born in Airthrey Castle in May 1944 and my father always said that when I was born, a nurse held me up by my ankles at an upstairs window to let him see me from the grounds outside the castle. Beautiful photograph of the castle Thank you.
is there list of all babies born in castle
hi there
my wife was born here on 25/2/1950 any chance of a list suporting this
HI ALL
I was born in the castle on 13/09/67.
Is there any books or reading material with information about the hospital, as i would like to fined out more about my birth place.
I was born in Airthrey Castle in 1948,lived in Scotland until l was 11 years old,lived in Derby England to present time,would like to visit before l die.
i was born there 16/04/1948
Apprreciate your blog post
I was born in Airthrey 28 March 1942 whilst my father was away at war. Sadly he was killed in action the following December, having seen and held me only the once – when I was 8 months old.
I was born there in 1941 and my sister in 1943. We lived in Clydebank. I took my mum back for a visit about 10 years ago but it had changed so much inside she said she couldn’t remember much of it. She said the second time she was there she met a woman she had met on her first visit (for me.) The woman said she liked the place so much she planned to come back regularly! I can see why- coming from bombed Clydebank and similar places it really is a lovely spot tucked under the Ochil Hills. I live in Canada now but visit Bridge of Allan when I’m ‘home’ just to be there. I wonder as I watch the university students come and go if they have any idea of the thousands of life stories that started in that building.
I was born here in 1962 my parents margaret n danny stewart Stayed in Tullibody at the time Sadly lost my mum last year Nee Mitchell
I was born here on 1st December 1945, my Mum and I living with her parents at Aberfoyle (my Dad still in the army). Many years later, when living in Manchester and studying with the Open University, I went to Stirling University for my summer school week. To return to the exact place of my birth after all those years was a very interesting experience!
I was born here in August 1961. My parents lived in Stirling.
I was born here on 3rd January 1949. My mother lived in Kilsyth.
My sister was born here in Oct 1944 after my mother was evacuated in pregnancy from South East London.
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Absolutely fascinating. Thanks for the update pictures. I was born there (as was my younger sister) but live in Canada now. I took my mum there and she said the memories flooded back.
I must say that when asked for a birth certificate for official documentation mine raises a few eyebrows.
Thank you, much more impressive than my place of birth, which was a second-world-war hut added to a former workhouse!