Building record 1160/358/7 - Barratt Maternity Home

Built in 1936 in brick by Sir John Brown & Henson after a donation from William Barratt, founder of Barratt's shoes. A blue plaque was unveiled in 2023 commemorating the donation.

{1} Barratt Maternity Home built in 1936 by Sir John Brown & Henson. Constructed in brick with 'horizontal forms and some Art Deco details around its entrance'.

{3} Various photographs taken February 1941 of the maternity home and staff. Text accompanying the images: The Barratt Maternity Home opened in 1936 after a donation from benefactor William Barratt and at first provided 34 beds for ante- and post-natal patient, a nursery, and a labour ward. Midwifery training was divided into two parts in 1938, and establishments were approved to provide training in one or both: Part I was primarily theoretical, based in hospitals and was assessed by examinations; Part II was largely practical, and allowed pupils to demonstrate competence and to link theory with practice. In 1938 the Barratt Maternity Home was approved as a Midwifery Training School to provide Part I of the training. Miss Eleanor Hague, who had qualified as a midwife in 1933, was appointed by the Central Midwives’ Board as the Approved Teacher; in 1943 she received her Midwife’s Teacher’s Diploma. Later, Miss Hague became Matron of the Barratt Maternity Home and is regarded by some as the “Mother of Midwifery” in Northamptonshire.

{4} Text of blue plaque reads: William Barratt/1877-1939/ William Barratt was a self-made Northampton shoe manufacturer who donated funds to build the Barratt Maternity Home, greatly improving the safety of childbirth. He was nationally well known in the shoe industry for his progressive ideas and methods, and Barratt shoe shops were once found on every high street in the country. [around edge of plaque:'West Northamptonshire Council/Northampton Blue Plaques Heritage Trail']

<1> Bailey, B, Pevsner, N, and Cherry, B, 2013, The Buildings of England: Northamptonshire, p. 451 (Book). SNN111989.

<2> Ordnance Survey Map (Scale/date), Northamptonshire XLV.9 (25"/1947) (Map). SNN112944.

<3> Historic England, General reference for Historic England Archive, https://historicengland.org.uk/images-books/photos/item/MED01/01; Images 1519-31;Accessed 09/06/2026 (Archive). SNN115142.

<4> General reference for websites, https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cp6z39xpznwo; Accessed 09/06/2026 (Website). SNN116607.

Record last edited

Jun 9 2026 2:38PM