Heath Cottage

Heath cottage was the home and surgery of John Hansby Maund followed by Norman Charles Simpson, from the mid 1920s until 1936. Dr Maund moved his practice from Grosvenor House to Heath Cottage some time between 1922 and 1926. He left in 1931/2 to become a ship’s surgeon, and was succeeded by Dr Simpson. The latter moved the practice from Heath Cottage to Lincoln Lodge in 1936. They were both part of a chain of medics that became the Orchard House Surgery of today (see The Orchard House practice chain for details, and the pages on John Hansby Maund and Norman Charles Simpson).

Heath Cottage is visible in the background of this old photograph from 1938 (just a couple of years after it ceased to be a surgery), the long building just to the left of the base of the clock tower, behind the roundabout. It's also of not that Cheveley House was gone by this stage - see the page on Cheveley House (see below or click image for more on the source and acknowledgements etc., ref. Image 1).

Heath Cottage is visible in the background of this old photograph from 1938 (just a couple of years after it ceased to be a surgery), the long building just to the left of the base of the clock tower, behind the roundabout. It’s also of not that Cheveley House was gone by this stage – see the page on Cheveley House (see below or click image for more on the source and acknowledgements etc., ref. Image 1).

Heath Cottage no longer exists. It stood on the southern side of Bury Road, a short distance up from the clock tower roundabout, as shown in the image on the right taken shortly after the practice had moved to Lincoln Lodge. It’s the building in the background, to the left of the clock tower. The green area in front is where the Majestic Wine Warehouse stands now. In fact where Heath Cottage stood is now the driveway into the Majestic Wine Warehouse.

Note: Heath Cottage can also be seen in a picture on the page about Cheveley House.

Note also, on this website the clock tower is known unofficially as the Robert Fyson retirement clock!

 

 

Image sources and acknowledgements:-

Image 1: From The Francis Frith Collection; image ©, reproduced with kind permission of The Francis Frith Collection, www.francisfrith.com. [Note: click here for the specific image on their website.]

Note: see comments regarding images and copyright © etc. on the Usage &c. page as well. 

Relevant references in chronological order

1922:Maund John Hansby L.R.C.P.Lond. M.R.C.S.Eng. D.P.H.Cantab. surgeon, & certifying factory surgeon & medical officer of health to the Urban District Council & medical officer & public vaccinator No. 1 district of Newmarket union, Grosvenor house, High st’ listed in Newmarket Commercial section of Kelly’s Directory, and ‘Maund John Hansby, Grosvenor ho. High street’ in the private residents section. Reference: Kelly’s directory of the counties of Cambridge, Norfolk, Suffolk and Essex… London: Kelly’s Directories Ltd.; 1922, pgs 190-197 Newmarket section. [Note: the three Grays in Lushington House (proto-Rookery), and Sidney Winslow Woollett in Cardigan Lodge (proto-Oakfield) are listed separately, as are Ernest Crompton in Rutland House who retired that year (see reference below), and Gibson & Palmer.]

1926:Maund, Dr. J. H., Heath Cottage’ listed under Severals Cottages, Bury Road, Newmarket. Reference: Telephone, Street and commercial Directory of Newmarket. Bury St Edmund’s: F.G. Pawsey & Co. Ltd.; 1926, pg 34. [Note: he is also on pg 18 in the alphabetical list of names as phone number Newmarket 14 ‘Maund, J. H., Surgeon, Heath Cottage.]

1928:MAUND, John Hansby, Heath Cottage, Newmarket, Cambs (Tel.14) – M.R.C.S., L.R.C.P. Lond. 1890; D.P.H.Cantab. 1909; (St. Bart.); Surg. Rous Memor. Hosp.; M.O.H. Newmarket U. Dist.; Med. Off. & Pub. Vacc. No.1 Dist. Newmarket Union; Med. Off. New-market Infirm.; Certif. Fact. Surg.; Mem.Camb.Med.Soc.; late Sen.Ho.Surg.St.Bart.Hosp. Author, “Two Cases of Submaxillary Cellulitis,” Lancet, 1891.’ Reference: The Medical Directory. London: Churchill; 1928. [Note: this was the first year that he gave Heath Cottage as his address in the Medical Directory, but note the 1926 Newmarket Street Directory above.], [Note also, his Medical Register entry did not change to Heath Cottage until 1929.], [Note also, his medical Directory entry changed in 1933 to say ‘travelling’ – see below.]

1931:SIMPSON, Norman Chas., Raymond House, Plashket Rd., Upton Pk., E. 13 (Simpson & Reid; Tel. Grange-wood 0506) – M.D. Aberd. (Hnrs.) 1927, M.B., Ch.B. 1921; (Aberd.)’. Reference: The Medical Directory. London: Churchill; 1931. [Note: this was his last entry in London, see below and the page on Norman Charles Simpson for more details.]

1931, 24th August: Dr J. H. Maund (Medical Officer) present at a meeting of the Newmarket Urban District Council. Reference: The Bury Free Press. Saturday Aug 29 1931: 4. [Note: this is the last mention found so far of Dr Maund still in practice at Newmarket, although there is a report regarding an inquest held at Newmarket Police station on September 18th at which he was present, regarding a case from 1st August; likely he was still working in Newmarket then, but might have come back for the inquest. Reference: The Bury Free Press. Saturday Sept 19 1931: 12, but note also the May 1832 reference below.]

1931, 17th October: A report from the West Suffolk Insurance Committee quarterly meeting, regarding the quarterly report of the Medical Benefit Sub-Committee, stated that Dr N. C. Simpson of Newmarket had been added to the panel list and Dr J. H. Maund removed. Reference: The Bury Free Press. Saturday Oct 17 1931: 11. [Note: this would imply that Dr Simpson replaced Dr Maund at Heath Cottage during this quarter of 1931, which fits with the report at the time of his death in 1944 below that the latter left in 1931, but see 1932 below.]

1931, 6th December: The earliest mention found so far of ‘Dr. Simpson, practising at Newmarket’ after the October note above. He was mentioned as a witness in a drink-driving case. Reference: The Bury Free Press. Saturday Dec 12 1931: 4. [Note: the report also mentions a ‘Dr. W. F. Davis’ of Newmarket giving an opposing opinion, which appears to be a reporting error for Joe Davis.]

1932:MAUND, John Hansby, Heath Cottage, Newmarket, Cambs (Tel.14) – M.R.C.S., L.R.C.P. Lond. 1890; D.P.H. Cantab. 1909; (St. Bart.); Surg. Rous Memor. Hosp.; M.O.H. Newmarket U. Dist.; Med. Off. & Pub. Vacc. No.1 Dist. Newmarket; Med. Off. Newmarket Infirm.; Certif. Fact. Surg.; Mem. Camb. Med. Soc.; late Sen. Ho. Surg. St. Bart. Hosp. Author, “Two Cases of Submaxillary Cellulitis,” Lancet, 1891.’ Reference: The Medical Directory. London: Churchill; 1932. [Note: this seems to lag behind the time that he left (see 1931 above, but perhaps not – see May 1832 below? But see 1944 below also, which says the left in 1931 too.]

1932:SIMPSON, Norman Chas., Heath Cottage, New-market, Suffolk (Tel. 14) – M.D. Aberd. (Hnrs.) 1927, M.B., Ch.B. 1921; (Aberd.)’. Reference: The Medical Directory. London: Churchill; 1932. [Note: his Medical Directory entries record him in London before this – see above and the page on Norman Charles Simpson for more details.], [Note also, the Medical Register also records him in London until Heath Cottage in 1932.]

1932, 28th May: A report on some West Suffolk County Council meetings noted that ‘Dr. J. H. Maund, of Heath Cottage, Newmarket tendered his resignation through ill-health as District Medical Officer for the 1st New-market District and as Medical Officer for the Newmarket Institution, and Dr. Nor-man Charles Simpson, of Heath Cottage Newmarket, applied for the posts’, which he obtained. Reference: The Bury Free Press. Saturday May 28 1932: 12. [Note: it’s odd that ‘ill health’ was given as the reason, given that he left to become a ship’s surgeon according to the 1944 reference below, unless that was a lighter semi retirement role ‘travelling’ – see 1933 below?], [Note also, this seems to show Dr Maund working in Newmarket a little later than some of the other references suggest, perhaps suggesting an overlap with Dr Simpson for a few months, as is seen with many other similar examples elsewhere on this website.]

1933:MAUND, John Hansby, (Travelling) – M.R.C.S., L.R.C.P. Lond. 1890; D.P.H. Cantab. 1909; (St. Bart.); Mem. Camb. Med. Soc.; late Surg. Rous. Memor. Hosp.; M.O.H. Newmarket U. Dist.; Sen. Ho. Surg. St. Bart. Hosp. Author, “Two Cases of Submaxillary Cellulitis,” Lancet, 1891.’ Reference: The Medical Directory. London: Churchill; 1933. [Note: his entry continued to mention travelling until 1944, when it changed to ‘retired’, also the year he subsequently died – see below.], [Note also, in the Medical Register his entry changed to ‘c/o Lloyds Bank, Newmarket’ rather than giving an address, which remained the case until his last entry in 1944.]

1936: In the section divided up by streets, ‘Heath Cottage, Simpson, Dr. Norman C., M.D., (Tel. New-market 14.)’ in the Bury Road section, and in the alphabetical list of names, ‘Simpson, Dr. Norman C., M.D., Heath cottage, Bury road’. Reference: Newmarket & District Annual & Directory. Newmarket: Eastern Counties Supplies Ltd.; 1936-37 edition, pages 87 & 163. [Note: on page 36, under ‘West Suffolk Public Assistance Committee’, ‘Dr. N. C. Simpson’ is listed as the medical officer for ‘Burwell, Mouton, Newmarket All Saints, Newmarket St. Mary’.], [Note also, Lincoln Lodge (see 1937 below) is listed in Rayes Lane under Exeter Road, inhabited by Walter C. Earl.]

1936, 10th December: Conveyance of Lincoln Lodge from Mrs Edith Collin to ‘Norman Charles Simpson of Heath Cottage… Doctor of Medicine (hereinafter called the Purchaser)’, and later in the document Lincoln Lodge with offices etc., described as ‘now in the occupation of the purchaser’ suggesting that he had already moved in, perhaps initially as a tenant. Reference: The Deeds of Lincoln Lodge, kindly lent to me in 2018 by the then owners, the Baileys. [Note: see the page on Lincoln Lodge for more details.]

1937:Simpson Norman Chas. M.D.Aberd. surgn. & certifying factory surgn. & medical officer of health to the Newmarket Institution & medical officer & public vaccinator No. 1 district of Newmarket Guardians Committee of the West Suffolk County Council & medical officer to Jockey Club, Lincoln lodge, Rayes la. TN 14’ listed in the Newmarket Commercial section of Kelly’s Directory. Reference: Kelly’s directory of Suffolk. London: Kelly’s Directories Ltd.; 1937, pg 367. [Note: it’s interesting that this suggests he continued the certifying factory surgeon role of his predecessor, as well as the role of medical officer for district 1 of the successor organisation to the Newmarket Union, facts not revealed by the Medical Directory entries.]

1938:SIMPSON, Norman Chas., Lincoln Lodge, New-market, Suffolk (Tel. 14) – M.D. Aberd. (Hnrs.) 1927, M.B., Ch.B. 1921; (Aberd.); Med. Off. Jockey Club.’ Reference: The Medical Directory. London: Churchill; 1938. [Note: this was the first year that he mentioned Lincoln Lodge, but note the 1937 Kelly’s directory entry above, and 1936 conveyance.], [Note also, see the page on Norman Charles Simpson for more details.]

1944, 28th August: Date of death of John Hansby Maund reported in the Newmarket Journal. The report also mentions that he died near St Albans in Hertfordshire, aged 80, that he’d been in practice at Newmarket for 37 years, but ‘left in 1931 to become a ship’s surgeon’. It mentions Heath Cottage too. Reference: The Newmarket Journal. Saturday Sept 9 1944: 5. [Note: see the page on John Hansby Maund for more details.]

Some other sources consulted include:-

Shops History Newmarket. http://www.newmarketshops.info/index.html. [Note: newmarketshops.info has been supplied with information regarding the medical history of Newmarket by the author of talkingdust.net since August 2013 (see footnotes on some of the pages). Both websites continue to be developed, and in this sense are mutually symbiotic.]

The Medical Directory. London: Churchill. [Note: this publication has been known by various titles over the years. Initially it just covered London, but from 1847 it had a wider remit, being variously known as the London and Provincial Medical Directory, The Medical Directories, The Medical Directory, etc., essentially the same work with minor variations and developments. It is usually referred to as The Medical Directory (as opposed to The Medical Register), so that is how it’s consistently referred to on talkingdust.net.]

The Medical Register. London: General Medical Council.

Note: For published material referenced on this website see the ‘Acknowledgements for resources of published material’ section on the ‘Usage &c.’ page. The sources used for original unpublished documents are noted after each individual reference. Any census records are referenced directly to The National Archives, since images of these are so ubiquitous on microfilm and as digital images that they almost function like published works. Census records are covered by the ‘Open Government Licence’ as should be other such public records (see the ‘Copyright and related issues’ section on the ‘Usage &c.’ page for which references constitute public records, and any other copyright issues more generally such as fair dealing/use etc.).