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Day nurseries
Progress was made in securing the continued availability of requisitioned nurseries and
other premises held on insecure tenure. Long-term leases were obtained in respect of
five nurseries and negotiations for the lease or acquisition of eleven other nurseries
were proceeding at the end of the year. Five nurseries were closed, two because of
diminished demand and the remainder because the sites or the buildings were required
for other purposes.
Closure of
day nurseries
Division 1—St. Charles' day nursery, Kensington—This nursery was closed to enable the
premises to be demolished to make way for the erection of school premises. No replacement
was available but children were accommodated in neighbouring nurseries.
Division 3—King Square day nursery, Finsbury—These requisitioned premises were
closed without replacement as a first step towards the reorganisation of the day nursery
service within the division.
Division 4—Kingsmead day nursery, Hackney—This nursery was closed to enable the site
to revert to use as open space. The children displaced were transferred to other nurseries
in the locality.
Division 5—Columbia Market day nursery, Bethnal Green—These premises were relinquished
so that they might be brought into use as a nursery school. No replacement
was available but accommodation for the children displaced was made available elsewhere
in the area.
Division 9—Battersea Park day nursery, Battersea—This nursery was closed because of
diminished demand in the locality. The premises were subsequently brought into use
for maternity and child welfare purposes.
Works
completed
Maternity and child welfare centres
Division 5—Greenwood welfare centre, Peel Grove, Bethnal Green—This purpose designed
building was completed and the centre opened in April. The Bethnal Green welfare
centre, Cornwall Avenue, was closed and the premises released for adaptation as an
occupation centre.
Division 8—Rose McAndrew welfare centre, Beale House, Lingham Street, Lambeth—New
purpose designed accommodation was provided in flats on the Stockwell Gardens
housing estate to replace the unsatisfactory centre at 146 Stockwell Road, which was
closed.
Replacements
Division 3—John Street welfare centre, John Street, Holborn—The tenancy of these
premises was terminated and the centre transferred on 13th June to new purpose
designed accommodation at the Province of Natal centre, Guilford Place. Further
reference to this centre is made on page 139.
Division 5—Will Crooks welfare centre, Wigram House, Poplar High Street—This centre
in flats was opened in May to replace premises at 154 Poplar High Street, the site of
which was required for housing development.
Division 8—West Norwood sub-centre, Baptist Hall, Gipsy Road, Lambeth—This centre
was closed in September because of the inadequacy and poor condition of the premises.
Arrangements were made for the clinic session to be transferred to the Gipsy Hill day
nursery.
Division 9—Ackroydon welfare centre, Tenants' Clubroom, Ackroydon Estate, Wandsworth—
This temporary centre was opened in July when accommodation at ' Woodlands ',
West Hill, ceased to be available for clinic purposes. The needs of new housing estates
will be met from this centre pending the provision of a purpose designed maternity
and child welfare and school treatment centre at 67 Victoria Drive.
Division 9—Battersea Park welfare centre, Prince of Wales Drive, Battersea—These premises
became available on the closure of the former Battersea Park day nursery and the
accommodation was brought into use for clinic purposes to replace unsatisfactory
premises at All Saints' Parish Hall, Prince of Wales Drive.
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