The History of Ainsdale Medical Centre

Last Updated: Thursday, 03 September 2026

The History of Ainsdale Medical Centre

Ainsdale has a long and fascinating history of local general practice. Ainsdale Medical Centre occupies Nos. 66 and 68 Station Road, buildings that have been closely associated with medical practitioners for many years.

The early years

No. 66 Station Road was built in 1894 and was originally known as Norwood Lodge. Its first known resident was Dr Hague.

Records show that several other doctors were practising in Ainsdale during the early 20th century:

Dr Brooks practised from The Sycamores, 37 Station Road, near the corner of Halifax Road, from around 1906.
Dr Segar and Dr Aspinall were recorded at Westcliffe, 10 Shore Road, in 1908.
Dr Spiers and Dr West were recorded at 14 and 12 Shore Road respectively in 1910.

A street directory from 1927 lists several doctors living or working in Ainsdale:

Dr Brooks at 37 Station Road
Dr Little, a surgeon, at 12 Shore Road
Dr West at 14 Shore Road
Dr Spiers at 13 Delamere Road
Dr Shortt at 4 Unit Road

These records suggest that medical surgeries may have operated from Nos. 10, 12 or 14 Shore Road during the early part of the 20th century.

Other early Ainsdale doctors

During the 1930s, 1940s and early 1950s, Dr Edwards practised from 6 Halifax Road. Dr Molineux worked from 625 Liverpool Road, next to St John’s Church, during a similar period.

Dr Hakeen initially practised from 75 Leamington Road before moving to 11 Chesterfield Road. He served the local community from approximately 1940 until his death in 1963. He was well known for holding lengthy surgeries that continued late into the evening and for covering a very large practice area.

In the 1950s, Dr Kitchen, a Birkdale GP, opened a branch surgery at 48 Station Road with Dr Alan Roscoe. Another practice operated from 722 Liverpool Road, where Dr Dalliwell and Dr Altman worked for a short period.

During the 1960s, Dr Judith Cubbon opened a surgery in Pinfold Lane to serve the developing housing estate. She later moved to Canada.

Following Dr Hakeen’s death, Dr Naidoo opened a surgery at 2 Leamington Road. He was later joined by Dr Pati, Dr Rao and Dr Sharma. Dr Paul Smith subsequently took over the practice, which became known as Ainsdale Village Surgery. Following Dr Smith’s retirement in 2014, Dr Lindsay McLelland and Dr Octavia Stevens continued the practice.

The development of Ainsdale Medical Centre

In 1933, Dr Foster established a medical practice at Norwood Lodge, 66 Station Road. He was followed several years later by Dr Bertrand Wallace.

Following Dr Wallace’s death in 1947, Dr J. J. Dykes Naismith took over the practice. Dr Naismith was Scottish and had qualified at Durham. In the late 1950s, he was joined by Dr Ross Hair, who later established his own practice on Liverpool Road.

When Dr Naismith died in 1963, Dr Paddy McCormack, who came from Widnes, took over the practice. He was later joined by Dr Angela Taylor, who had previously been in partnership with Dr Roscoe.

Ainsdale grew rapidly during this period. Its population increased from approximately 3,000 in the 1960s to around 14,000 by the 1980s. To meet the needs of the growing community, Dr Brian Garston joined the practice in 1967.

Dr Roscoe later retired from general practice and moved to Farnborough to work in aviation medicine. He was subsequently awarded an OBE for his work.

Continued growth

Following Dr Roscoe’s departure, Dr Taylor left to establish a practice across the road at 19 Station Road. She was joined by Dr Margaret Farley and later by Dr Ian Kilshaw and Dr Evans. The practice subsequently moved to Birkdale and became known as The Grange Surgery.

The practice at 66 Station Road continued to grow:

Dr John Rigg joined in 1969.
Dr Stephan Bonnet joined in 1974.
Dr Robert Russell joined in 1981.
Dr Colette Nugent joined following Dr McCormack’s retirement in 1989.
Dr Sara Burns joined in 1992.
Dr Foster joined following Dr Garston’s retirement in 1996.
Dr Stuart Bennett joined following Dr Rigg’s retirement in 2001.
Dr Liz Quinlan joined in 2002.
Dr Wood succeeded Dr Bonnet in 2008.
Dr Sarah Aylward joined as an additional partner in 2013.
Dr Fred Weindling joined following Dr Russell’s retirement in 2015.
Dr Mel Ozkan joined the practice in 2016 as its first salaried GP and is now a GP Partner.
Dr Adam Marnell joined as a Salaried GP in 2018, and is now a GP Partner

The adjoining building, No. 68 Station Road, originally known as Shelbourne, became available for purchase in 1991. Its acquisition allowed the medical centre to expand further and accommodate the increasing needs of its patients.

A proud training practice

Ainsdale Medical Centre has a proud history of helping to train future GPs. Several doctors who have worked at the practice began their association with Ainsdale Medical Centre as GP trainees.

Although the practice and its team have changed over the years, its commitment to providing high-quality care for the people of Ainsdale and the surrounding community remains at the heart of everything it does.