History

Beaumont Villa Surgery - Past and Present

Beaumont Villa has had an unbroken attachment with General Practice for over 120 years. Many of our patients in their eighties and nineties remember the Surgery as children and we thank them for their help in recording these memories.

Built at the end of the 19th century, Beaumont Villa is a beautiful limestone villa overlooking Beaumont Park. The house has retained many original features, including magnificent plaster mouldings and the domestic servants' bells.

Thomas Wilkinson is the first doctor known to have lived at Beaumont Villa. After qualifying in Dublin 1890 he began a Practice in Plymouth. The entry from the Medical Directory for 1901 shows his address as Beaumont Villa although at this time the Surgery was at 16 St. Jude's Place, which may or may not have been known as Brunswick Terrace, and remained so until the end of the war. Free medical care was not generally available, although Wilkinson worked closely with the missionary societies locally to provide free care. He retired in 1934.

In the late 1920's Dr Howard Raymond Cara moved into Beaumont Villa. He took over the Practice at 16 St Jude's Place in 1935. Brunswick Terrace, along with most of Plymouth, was largely destroyed in the war, the properties were pulled down, and the Surgery transferred to Beaumont Villa.

Around 1938 Dr Cuthbert Henry Hutchinson moved into Beaumont Villa with his wife Dr Lucy Ashton Hutchinson. Her entry from the Medical Directory 1945 records the telephone number as 3776 (now 663776). She practiced as an Obstetrician both at the Alexandra Maternity Home, Devonport and the Old Tree Maternity Home, Launceston, combined with some private practice at Beaumont Villa. Many of our current patients were brought into the world and owe their life to Lucy Hutchinson. Meanwhile her husband, Cuthbert, ran the Practice from day to day at the dawn of the National Health Service, his consulting room is remembered for a picture of the Tree of Life. There was no receptionist or other staff. Patients would ring the bell and sit in the waiting room on stuffed horse hair seats until their turn came, often some two hours later. One apocryphal account remembers Dr Hutchinson surveying the patients in the waiting room and announcing "I will see you, and you and you" whilst dismissing the remainder!

In 1941 Lucy had a son, David, who after medical training returned to Beaumont Villa to take over the Practice from his parents. Affectionately known as Dr David or 'young Dr Hutchinson' he remained at Beaumont Villa until moving sideways into tropical medicine. David takes a close interest in the Practice and the property remains in the Hutchinson family.

Dr Malcolm Calder joined David as a Partner in 1967 and as David left he was replaced by Dr John Houston. Over the next few years the Partnership changed several times including Drs Bramble, Darling, Campbell, Kitson, Yarnley and Watt before Dr John Pickard joined in 1988.

David Jones joined in 1992 following the retirement of John Houston. The Partnership increased to four in 1993 when Dr Jane Couch joined and was a partner for seven years before reducing her commitment to work as a part time retainer. Perhaps the biggest change in 120 years occurred in 1996 when Malcolm Calder retired, to be replaced by Paul Hardy, and at the same time the adjacent property 17 Tothill Avenue became available. After intense negotiations David Hutchinson purchased the property and the opportunity was taken to redevelop the whole premises which now combine the ambience of a beautiful Victorian villa with a modern General Practice.

Dr Sarah Cole joined the partnership in 2000 to replace Jane Couch, some 100 years since the first medical resident. In 2003, David Jones left the Practice and in October of that year, Drs Rachel Leyland and Samantha Wheeler joined the Practice.

2011 sees Beaumont Villa Surgery going from strength to strength the list size is approximately 12,500 which also now incorporates the University Medical Centre, which is run in conjunction with Peverell Park Surgery and services the University of Plymouth students and staff. Following a complete refurbishment of the Surgery and the addition of new staff the Partnership, with effect from 1 April 2010, incorporates Dr John Pickard (now in his 23rd year), Dr Paul Hardy, Dr Rachel Leyland, Dr Samantha Wheeler, Dr Steve Ward-Booth and Dr Gaye Dickinson in addition to Dr Kelly Dinniss and Dr Melissa Lemon, our eight nursing staff and twenty members of the support team a far cry from the days of Dr Hutchinson.