John Robinson was the first registered veterinary surgeon to practise in Lichfield. He qualified from the London College in 1815, and was certainly working in Lichfield in 1836, probably based in Dam Street (the current home of the Practice). His brother published a report in The Veterinarian concerning Lithotomy in the Horse (Urethostomy) in 1837. This unfortunate animal is described as being in Lichfield. It seems that during the 1840's and 50's he was employed as a Veterinary teacher at the Cirencester Agricultural College (now the Royal Agricultural College). After retiring from this post he returned to Lichfield and is recorded as being resident in the City in the 1861 census. He died in 1865 at the age of 72 years.
Whilst John Robinson was lecturing in Cirencester a practice was established in Market Street by Joseph Cooper V,S. who had qualified from London in 1840. He died in 1852. During this period William J Godwin V.S. also a London graduate (1827) was also practising in the Lichfield area. In 1835 he described in a letter to The Veterinarian a case of 'Fungus Haematodes in the Eye of a Mare' occurring in Lichfield, although his own address is stated to be in Birmingham. William Godwin also died in 1852.
In 1850 George White who had qualified from the London College in 1846 established a new practice at Hill Hall Swinfen (now owned by a client) but unfortunately died on the 3rd. Dec 1857 aged 34. His estate and Practice were valued at £600 at his death. His wife Amphlina continued the practice employing an assistant William Wall to do the Veterinary work, it is likely that William Wall was not a qualified Veterinary Surgeon. In 1860 the practice moved to Redlock Cottage, Birmingham Road (unfortunately this cottage has been demolished) and continued until purchased by William Barry MRCVS in 1864. William Barry moved premises firstly to Sandford Street and then in 1875 to Bore Street. This was to be the practice's home for the next 90 years.
In this year another momentous event in the history of Pool House Veterinary Group had occurred. A rival practice founded by Richard Cooper in Tamworth Street (in 1870) also moved to Bore street, it is possible that a partnership was formed although there are no records to confirm this.
It would seem that this partnership lasted from 1875 until 1889 when George Watkins who had been employed by Richard Cooper as an assistant took over.
In 1890 William Barry moved to 62 Wade Street (probably the site of the current Garrick Theatre) and continued to work as a Vet, whilst his daughter ran a school from the same address. He was still listed as being in active practice at the age of 76. He died in the 2nd Dec 1920 aged 83 and a headstone in the Christ Church graveyard commemorates him.
Meanwhile Richard Cooper had inherited a substantial bequest from his uncle (the manufacturer of the first sheep dips). He immediately set about building on his uncles' achievements. From 1885 - 1889 Richard Cooper became heavily involved with the family sheep dip business (Cooper & Nephews) of which he became sole proprietor at the age of 43. He purchased Shenstone Court in 1889 when his direct Veterinary involvement with the Bore Street Practice appears to have gradually ended. He proved an astute businessman and farmer and by the time of his death owned 250,000 acres of land world wide with farming and mining interests in New Zealand, Rhodesia, and South Africa. King Edward VII created him a Baronet for services to Agriculture.
George Watkins carried on the Bore Street Practice until his death from asthma and bronchitis at 1am Wed 26th Oct 1900.
For the next 37 years Lt. Col. James Alexander Connell ran the Practice. Connell was a larger than life character; born in County Antrim he qualified from the New College in Edinburgh in 1898. A member of the Queen's own Staffs. Yeomanry (in which he was appointed Vet. Lieutenant in 1905) he joined the territorials in 1911 with the rank of Captain. During the First World War he was to serve in France and elsewhere and in 1916 was promoted to Major. It is probable that during the war years there was no full time veterinary surgeon active in Lichfield, by this time Wiiliam Barry was 77 years old and was presumably only working in a very part time capacity. Between 1914 - 18 of the 3,400 registered veterinary surgeons 1,600 were employed by the Army. It is thus likely that many rural areas would have had to rely on the services of semi-retired veterinary surgeons at the time. On return to Lichfield Connell continued the Practice and started a branch in Brownhills. He refused to use mechanised transport and did all his calls with a pony and trap. He is perhaps best remembered for his association with local hunts and as a regular point-to-point competitor. He rode his horse 'Jack Diamond' for a number of years at the South Staffs. Pt. to pt. and reputedly always fell off at the same fence! The fence became known as Connell's Folly.
In 1922 H. W. (Harry) Steele-Bodger qualified from Royal (Dick) Edinburgh Veterinary School. The day following his admission to the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons he started in single-handed practice in Tamworth, which he purchased from P.T. Lindsey for £500. He was a truly remarkable man, an exuberant character with an inexhaustible energy and capacity for work. He lived and loved his profession and he worked tirelessly for its advancement and welfare. He is credited with being a pioneer of mechanised transport in Veterinary Practice, a motorbike and sidecar. Not only was he interested in the traditional aspects of Veterinary Practice but was also prepared to treat dogs and other 'pet' animals. Many clients travelled from Stafford and some even from South Wales so he could treat their dogs. His special interests were the infectious and reproductive diseases of cattle, and he travelled widely lecturing on these subjects. To improve his own knowledge in the subject he travelled to the veterinary school in Copenhagen where he was tutored by Professor Nielson. Under his management the Tamworth Practice at its zenith employed 12 full time Veterinary Assistants, but he was not one to permit idleness. In the quiet summer months he would loan out his Vets. as farm hands to help with the haymaking!
Born in 1896 in Peterborough, at the outbreak of the Great War he joined the Blue Cross Ambulance Corps and was attached to the French Army at Alfort College and became fluent in French. He later joined the British Army and was commissioned into the Royal Field Artillery, with which he saw active service. He was wounded and gassed in 1918. On recovery he was posted to the Army remount services in Edinburgh where he was put in charge of "rogue" recruit horses. This role ended when he was kicked on the head by a horse. The injury was so severe that everyone thought he was certain to die. He eventually recovered at the cost of his left eye. For the rest of his life he always wore a monocle.
During the Second World War he was president of the National Veterinary Medical Association (now the B.V.A.) and was heavily involved in organising the Profession to help with the War Effort. So influential had he become that the headquarters of the N.V.M.A. was moved to Bore Street during the War to avoid the blitz. In 1936 he purchased the remnants of Lt. Col. Connell's Lichfield practice, which became a branch of his larger Practice. From 1936 - 1945 the Branch was in the care of the very popular Jim Rorrison MRCVS. Jim Rorrison qualified from Edinburgh in July 1934, and worked in the clinical department there until joining Harry Steele-Bodger and taking charge of the newly acquired Bore Street Practice. He left in 1945 to start his own practice in Derby. George Christie moved into Lichfield and then R.W. Graham worked the Lichfield Practice from Tamworth. It was not until 1948 that a stable arrangement was found.
1948 marks the beginning of a new era at the Bore Street Practice. In this year Harry's son Alasdair Steele - Bodger who had graduated from Edinburgh was put in charge of the Lichfield Practice. Four years later his father died (1952) his early death being mourned by members of the Veterinary Profession both in the U.K. and further afield.
Alasdair Steele - Bodger became the sole principle of the practice, the Tamworth branch being taken over by his brother Michael. Lichfield had its own independent practice again. Alasdair had many of his fathers qualities, and like his father was a charismatic character. He had boundless energy, and a tremendous capacity for work. From 1942 - 45 he studied at Caius College, Cambridge and gained a B.A. in Natural Sciences in 1945. During his sojourn at Cambridge he enjoyed convivial relationships with members of the U.S.A.A.F. - bartering was commonplace and a dozen eggs secured him a flight in a Flying fortress over the highlands and Islands of Scotland. He was a member of the Home Guard, where he was employed as a dispatch rider. Also, whilst at Cambridge he demonstrated his athleticism and became a Triple Blue. His athleticism continued after qualifying - he did everything at a fast pace. On farms he would run between car and patient, thus it was essential that students seeing practice were in a high state of fitness. Students would also have to get used to drinking their tea scalding hot, as Alasdair would be anxious to set off to the next call. In 1947 he turned his car over whilst going down Cleat Hill Longdon. although badly injured in the accident, his smashed shoulder, and fractured skull healed well and he suffered no long lasting ill effects.
Hard work and determination saw the practice expand to employ four veterinary surgeons. The partnership was joined briefly by Dan Wright in 1950's. He obtained his fellowship of the Royal College whilst working at the practice for a thesis on the metabolic diseases of cattle. He left to found his own practice in Mansfield.
Alasdair was keen to keep up to date with progress and was one of the first veterinary surgeons to use radio - telephones in all the practice cars, to facilitate communications between base and veterinary surgeons in the field.
After 90 years in the rented premises in Bore Street it was decided in 1965 to move to Pool House in Dam Street. This was Alasdair Steele - Bodger's home and he moved to Longdon. This ended the long association of Bore Street with veterinary profession; Messrs Barry, Cooper, Watkins, Connell, the Steele-Bodgers, and the NVMA (BVA) had all at one time resided there.
Hugh Davies joined the practice in 1960, and Richard Jones in 1964. In 1969 the practice became Steele-Bodger, & Davies, and then in 1975 Steele-Bodger, Davies and Jones. Hugh Davies expanded the Equine side of the practice, as agriculture in the area began to decline, and following the example of Harry Steele - Bodger Richard Jones developed the small animal hospital.
Alasdair Steele-Bodger followed in his father's footsteps being elected as President of both the British Veterinary Association and the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons. He was also elected President of the British Small Animal Veterinary Association. He published numerous scientific papers whilst working in Lichfield.
In 1977 Alasdair Steele-Bodger left the practice and in 1979 was appointed Professor of Veterinary Clinical Studies at Cambridge University. He has since received many accolades including his appointment in 1980 as a Commander of the Order of the British Empire by Her Majesty the Queen. He returned to Staffordshire in 1992 and was a regular visitor to the Hospital. Unfortunately failing eye sight has forced him to curtail his veterinary activities, and he has recently moved to be nearer his daughter.
In 1982 major building work was undertaken to create a Veterinary Hospital at Pool House. The Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons who granted the coveted title 'Veterinary Hospital' to Pool House acknowledged this work in 1988. In the same year the Partners decided to cease the use of their own names in the Practice title and adopted the permanent name 'Pool House Veterinary Group'.
The present partners are Stuart Holland, Richard Stephenson, Gilbert Riley, and Alex England. Hugh Davies and Richard Jones act as Consultants in Equine Medicine and Small Animal Surgery respectively.
The hospital has a branch in Burntwood, and an Equine Centre. It is the largest Equine Practice in the Midlands with over 5,500 horses under its care.
I would like to thank Richard Jones for his extensive and ongoing research into the history of Veterinary Practice in Lichfield, without which this article would have been impossible.
Richard Stephenson.
