You are in [Themes] [Medicine in Hungerford] [The 1950s]
In 1950 Max Wallis moved from 105 High Street to live in St. Anthony, The Croft, where he remained until his retirement in 1973.
He was unlucky enough to contract pulmonary tuberculosis in 1952, and had to be admitted to the Peppard Sanatorium for treatment. This was of course a very difficult time for all concerned, and it was necessary to employ an assistant in the practice to help Dr. Kennedy. The assistant was Dr. Stuart Brown, who, together with his wife, lived in St. Anthony with Ettie Wallis whilst Max was away. They later moved into a flat above the then Pratt's Butchers shop in the High Street.
Dr. Wallis' health improved by 1954, and he began to do light duties again. Dr. Brown left Hungerford in ?April 1955 to go into practice in Leigh on Sea, and some years later he moved to Exeter, where he was still in practice, at least until 1985. (Dr. Wallis and he often dined together and chat about the old times in Hungerford).
As Dr. Brown left, a new partner was taken into the practice. Dr. Gordon Currie joined with an equal third share. An extra room was rented in Manor House, which Dr. Kennedy used for consulting, whilst Dr. Currie took over Dr. Kennedy's previous consulting room, sharing the meagre examination room with Dr. Wallis.
By 1957 the fabric of Manor House was deteriorating, and there was a change in the Rent Restriction Act. The main problem was woodworm, and the surgery portion was in danger of falling through to the cellars! The only solution was to support the floor on steel girders, a job not viewed with enthusiasm by either the owners or occupants, especially as the lease was virtually at an end! The lessors tried to sell the building to Dr. Kennedy (who was of course living there), and then to the Practice, but neither party was interested in the purchase.
The two partners decided that the best option open to them was to build a completely new purpose built surgery in the town, and they set about its design with enthusiasm. At this time (1958) there were hardly any purpose built surgeries in existence, and the design was very largely their own responsibility, along with the architect, Patrick Sweetnam.
In 1959 the new surgery was built in The Croft, and Manor House was sold. Having foreseen that he would be homeless, Dr. Kennedy had taken the precaution of building himself a new house at the southern edge of the town - Brae House (just south of Oak Lodge).
Whilst all this was going on, Dr. Currie decided to leave the partnership, seeing little future in Hungerford given the rather tight financial situation. In ?January 1958, before the partnership moved to The Croft, he moved to Nottingham in practice, but a few years later he emigrated to Canada, where was still in practice in 1985, but is thought to have died c2004.
The partnership of Drs. Wallis and Kennedy continued without further change until 1973.
See also:
Medicine in Hungerford:
- The Early Days - from the 13th century
- The Start of Organised Medicine - from 1550 to c1830
- The 19th Century and Medical Nepotism
- Local Hospitals (including more distant ones used by Hungerford residents)
The Canal Wharf, 2011