Kendal Oral History Group aims to compile a picture of earlier times through the recorded memories of the area’s older residents. Margaret Ainsworth was born in 1919 and interviewed in the year 2000:

AFTER leaving the hospital and Matron Wright, I went to work for Mrs Dodd in her café at the bottom of Allhallows Lane as a waitress, and I worked there until it closed down, and then I came to Helme Chase maternity home as ward maid.

There were seven rooms with doctors coming in and out all day.

Mums used to stay in a lot longer then, when they had their babies.

There was no going home the next day in them days.

I just have one girl, Susan, and we had to stay two weeks.

We had to pay to stay in though.

It was 20 pound and that was a hell of a lot of money in those days.

At first, if anybody needed a caesarean birth, they had to go to Lancaster.

Then we had two theatres built onto Helme Chase and, unless you had poorly babies, they weren’t moved at all.

They kept all the babies in a separate nursery and not by the mum's bedside.

I think it was a better idea having the babies separate, not by the bed, 'cos it meant that mums got more rest.

There used to be what was called 'rounds'.

At a certain time each day, everything had to be just so, pillowcases the right way round - you soon got into trouble if the opening of your pillow was facing the door.

All mothers had to be sat in their beds at that time as well.

I should think it used to frighten nurses... patients... sometimes, it was so strict, but that didn't last all that long, just a few years.

In 1993, Helme Chase maternity home closed and maternity services were moved to the Westmorland General Hospital.

The unit's correct title is the Helme Chase Maternity Unit. I was there 34 years.

When we were 60, we had to finish, but I just went voluntary until I was 70.

14 years I did voluntary [at Helme Chase], and 20 years' service.