The Turner Home
(formerly the Turner Memorial Home, then the Turner Nursing Home) is located in
Dingle Lane, Toxteth. Founded for the care of
sick and disadvantaged men, it continues to function as a registered
residential and nursing home for men. The building is designated by English
Heritage as a Grade II listed building.
 |
| The Turner Home |
The Turner
family lived at Dingle Head, an area of the city close to the River Mersey
bordering Toxteth Park, where the growing prosperity was seeing increasing land
development in what were to become the suburbs. The land was originally owned
by the Yates family, Richard Vaughan Yates was the man who financed the first
public park in Liverpool – Princes Park. Yates was a wealthy iron merchant and
philanthropist who, ‘desirous…that a place of healthful and pleasant recreation
should be secured for the people’, paid the Earl of Sefton the hefty sum of
£50,000 in 1842 for the land and employed Joseph Paxton to do the
landscaping. The Yates family eventually
sold their estate to Charles Turner, originally from Yorkshire. Turner established
his merchant business in Liverpool and soon made a success of the venture. Charles Turner was the first chairman of
Liverpool Dock Board, and a Member of Parliament, he died in 1875, followed by
his son five years later.He was committed to charitable causes and local
politics.
Anne Turner, the
bereaved wife and mother sought to find a way of providing a memorial to her
loved ones. She gave £40,000, with an endowment, to establish the Turner Home
to provide accommodation and residential care for chronically sick men and boys
and commissioned a life-size marble sculpture of her late husband and son. They
are seen inspecting cloth. The sculpture is located in the main entrance hall
of the Turner Home.
 |
| Dingle Glen towards the Turner Memorial Home |
The building of
the home was completed in 1884 and was designed by Alfred Waterhouse who was
born on 19 July 1830 in Aigburth, Liverpool, the son of wealthy mill-owning
Quaker parents. It was built for Mrs Anne Turner. The first full title of the home was “The
Turner Memorial Home of Rest for Chronic Sufferers”. By the 1980s the fabric of
the building had deteriorated, and in 1984 a Centenary Appeal was launched to
raise money for essential repairs and improvements. Following this, as nursing
standards and regulations changed, more modern accommodation was provided. In
1993 the Eric Fischer Wing was built, containing 44 bedrooms with en-suite
facilities. This was followed in 2000 by the Ian Tod Wing, which incorporated a
rehabilitation unit, a lounge, and six more bedrooms. The home is
dual-registered as a residential and a nursing facility. In addition to medical
and nursing care, chiropody, dental care, an optician's service, and
hairdressing are provided. Parts of the main building continue to be used for
communal activities, including dining, and games such as pool and snooker.
Religious services are held twice a week in the chapel. Holidays and outings
are arranged for the residents. The work of the home is supported by a League
of Friends.
 |
| Turner memorial home © Ged Fagan |
For over a
century this building has been home for a great many men of all ages, including
those who fought in the wars. The tradition of care and support has always been
an outstanding feature of the home. The overall administration of the Home is
the responsibility of the Trustees, who meet regularly throughout the year.
They delegate the overseeing of the management of the Home to the Management
Committee which includes the three Trustees and the Home manager, the Home
employs professional advisors as both Secretary and Treasurer.
Sources
The National Archives
Liverpool Central Library
Liverpool Records Office
The Turner Home Website
Yo Liverpool
By Robert F Edwards
