The Palms, Maternity Nursing Home, 1908-unknown (Place)

SummaryIn 1908, Mrs Mary Elizabeth Chappell (née Fielder), a registered midwife, moved her private maternity practice from Topcroft on Cameron Road to a newly built villa on the east side of Cameron Road, near the corner with Eighth Avenue. The Bay of Plenty Times described it as a commodious modern English-style residence of over 1,700 square feet, with a hall and nine rooms, steel-patterned ceilings in principal rooms, and extensive verandahs on the west and north. Distinctive features included twin half-hexagonal bay windows with illuminated fanlights, decorative fretwork, carved walnut mantelpiece, and an oriel-windowed dining room opening to the verandah. The home was well appointed with hot and cold running water, the latest sanitary fittings, an airing-room with an Orion range, and commanding harbour views. Advertised as “The ‘Palms’ – Licensed Maternity Nursing Home, M. Chappell, Registered Midwife”, it served as a key private healthcare facility in Tauranga’s early 20th-century medical landscape. Mary and her husband, Joseph Bygrave Chappell (sometimes recorded as “Bigrave”), retired to Auckland in 1920.

SourcesBay of Plenty Marriages 1872-1920. A-G. Chappell.Bay of Plenty Times. (1908, August 21). "The Palms" Nursing Home, Cameron Road. p. 3.Bay of Plenty Times. (1920, April 20). Local and General. The golden wedding of Mr and Mrs J.B. Chappell. p. 2.Neal, Justine. (2013, June 28). "The Palms" Licensed Maternity Nursing Home: Tauranga Historical Society Blog.

Photographs

The Palms, Maternity Nursing Home

Nurse Chappell's house, 1908

Walker's garage c. 1925

Our People (authority)

Chappell, Mary Elizabeth (née Fielder) (Person) -1925

The Palms by Mary Humphreys shortly after its construction (Photo 07-075)

Usage

Kaitiakitanga StatementWe ask that, in addition to normal copyright and privacy considerations, users of our heritage resources uphold the mana and dignity of the people, communities and places depicted within.LicenseCC BY 4.0AcknowledgementTe Ao Mārama - Tauranga City Libraries, The Palms, Maternity Nursing Home, 1908- (Place)

Known Date/s

Date Built1908

Location

Location"East side of Cameron Road nearly opposite Mr C.A. Crabbe's store" (BOP Times 1908, August 21 p2)Latitude/Longitude^[1]

Relates To

Start here:Chappell, Mary Elizabeth (née Fielder) (Person) -1925

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The Palms, Maternity Nursing Home, 1908-unknown (Place)