Dr James Anderson Loughridge. Information needed.

[hollydog]

The Well is below what is now flats and was previously the doctor's surgery (of Dr Robertson fame) The houses either side were Manses (one now being the dentist) for the nearby churches. So did Wellbank House become the Doctor's surgery? although I have seen a very old photo with a shop in part of it as well.

[Coquet]

I was thinking that the old health centre was the most likely place as well.
Dr Robertson had his surgery in his house in Oswald Street before that. As a kid I have fond memories of him burning warts off my hands with dry ice in there.
Is 1944 too early for Dr Robertson to have taken over from Loughridge?

[hollydog]

Probably, possibly before Dr Robertson there was a surgery at Bede House and a doctor living there, we still have a load of medicine bottles and concoctions lurking in the loft of the old buildings....look interesting will explore one day when time allows.

[janwhin]

Does anyone know what Dr Robertson's christian name was? He was looking after my family before 1949, fantastic man. And then there was Dr Thompson in Amble House? Spent a lot of time in his kilt as I recall.

[hollydog]

Dr Thompson was in Bede house nearby, I think he is the doctor of my post above, I can't confirm that because the persons who would know are incommunicado for a week or so!!

[janwhin]

So Hollydog, as well as a charabanc to the National Archives, we need a foraging party into your outbuildings

Was Bede House a white painted pebble dashed type house? And is it on the Amble House site?

[Alan J.]

Dr Robertson was in Amble in 1945, I had pneumonia when I was 2 years old and he treated me with that, he remained my doctor until his retirement.
He was R P Robertson and I know his middle name was Pitcairn, I assume the R may have been Robert.
Dr Thompson was a character and as you say had a habit of going around wearing a kilt. He may have had Scottish ancestry as his name was Campbell Thompson and because of this the kilt would probably have been the Campbell tartan. He also had the reputation of liking a "wee dram or two".

[janwhin]

Thanks for that Alan, I've now found him. As an unexpected bonus I even came across a photograph from an obituary....Robert Pitcairn Robertson, died 1993. Captain in the RAMC 1939 to 1946, Amble 1946 to 1976. MB ChB 1937 University of Edinburgh. So he must have been the successor to Dr Loughridge and maybe Campbell Thompson was there at a similar time. Haven't had any luck with our Scottish friend yet.

[hollydog]

Originally Posted by janwhin

So Hollydog, as well as a charabanc to the National Archives, we need a foraging party into your outbuildings

Was Bede House a white painted pebble dashed type house? And is it on the Amble House site?

Bede House is a white smooth render house built 1930 ish in the grounds of Amble House, it is still there on street view ! - go to Bede st and it is up the long, drive opposite Sanderson House and Carse's offices.You will appreciate why I was interested in the plans you had when you see its location. On google satellitte Amble House stables (more recently doctors surgery) are directly behind, north of it

[janwhin]

Thanks Hollydog, it is the house I'm thinking of. Years ago I went there with a friend who was Dr Thompson's patient...she was getting a polio jab. No permission forthcoming yet for the plan

[hollydog]

Well it is pretty much as it was when it was a surgery inside; floors, doors, windows,sinks are all still there behind and underneath a lot of gardening stuff etc., and it is also an RNLI tables and chairs store!

Guided tours can be arranged by appointment!

[Alan J.]

I must have been one of Dr Robertsons earliest cases when he came to Amble.
I well remember him having surgery at his house in Oswald street, no appointments in those days. Surgery started at 8.30 and people were sitting in his passageway from 8'oclock to get a good turn. He started at 8.30 and went through all who cared to come, sometimes the front room was full as well, it may be almost 12 o'clock before he was through. In the afternoon he was out on his rounds then available on call afterwards.
One time my daughter, who was only about 2 , was running a high temperature late at night and I went to the phone box to ring him, he came and sorted things out at 1150 pm, you don't get that sort of service nowadays. If you get an appointment inside a fortnight you are doing well and there are now 7 doctors covering Amble against a max of 3 then.

[janwhin]

I remember the waiting in Oswald Street, straight backed chairs went from the front door around the edge of the front room and then a few opposite his surgery, a steady, patient progression to be seen.
When my mother died in 1972 he came to the house and apologised to my dad for not having been on duty when the call went in. Dr Reynolds dealt with it, another good one.

[janwhin]

Originally Posted by hollydog

Bede House is a white smooth render house built 1930 ish in the grounds of Amble House, it is still there on street view ! - go to Bede st and it is up the long, drive opposite Sanderson House and Carse's offices.

I've had a google around the Amble House site, very interesting, from Bede Street and High Street you never realise how much building has sprung up within the original site. Do you know when Eastgarth was built? I guess a 1930s construction but probably early.

[janwhin]

Originally Posted by hollydog

On google satellitte Amble House stables (more recently doctors surgery) are directly behind, north of it

The doctor's surgery you refer to, that's not the one on the north side of High Street near the Catholic church is it? Are you referring to Dr Thompson's or something that post-dated my time in Amble.

Bede House must have been built well south of the original Amble House. All this needs to wait until we can get the 1920 plan onto the site really

[janwhin]

Been back into Google and got a better idea, you can guage the size of the original Amble House site, must have been impressive. Spotted the stables now.
The old stone wall to the west of Olives's on High Street, I was always told that that was part of Amble House. That was another place I used to go when I was a child, the Clark's cottage which was next to the two storey house, which was owned by Mr Adamson, the chemist.

[hollydog]

Originally Posted by janwhin

The doctor's surgery you refer to, that's not the one on the north side of High Street near the Catholic church is it? Are you referring to Dr Thompson's or something that post-dated my time in Amble.

Bede House must have been built well south of the original Amble House. All this needs to wait until we can get the 1920 plan onto the site really

The docs surgery was/is in the stable block east end next to Bede House, I remember watching Amble House being demolished from the point 5 yards west of the block on the wall which runs north, around 1972 ish

[janwhin]

Thanks for the clarification, you've got to give elderly ladies a bit of time to get their headpieces working

My confusion started because when I went there with said friend we went into the house not the surgery.

[Coquet]

here's the area across several maps and Google.

final image copyright Google Maps 2009

[Coquet]

I've worked out the stables part you mention now I've made that picture!