Lench’s Legend: Margaret Witty

I had the chance to sit down with Margaret Witty, resident at Tanner’s Close where she shared with us her amazing story.

Margaret Witty has had quite a full life. Her family moved around a lot when she was growing up, which meant she often felt a bit lonely as a child. Because of that, she spent a lot of time out and about with her parents. One of her early loves was the theatre—something she absolutely adored. Living in Wolverhampton, her family would often go to the Grand Theatre. What fascinated her was how the theatre would have one show playing one week while rehearsing the next week’s show behind the scenes.

Music was a big part of her childhood too. Her mum could play piano by ear, which Margaret always thought was amazing—she’s never met anyone else who could do it quite like her. Her dad didn’t play, but he loved listening to Gilbert and Sullivan records, which were popular at the time. Often, he’d put on a record and her mum would play along on the piano. Margaret even had piano lessons herself for a while.

She went to school in Bilston, and had to pass an exam to get in. She really enjoyed school—especially art. She was always drawing, mostly houses, and at one point even thought about becoming an architect. But when she found out it would take seven years of study, she quickly changed her mind! She was also into gymnastics and netball—really, anything active or game-related, she was all in.

Things changed when her mum became unwell and had to go to a private mental hospital in Northampton. Back then, the treatment for depression was shock therapy. It was a difficult time, but something unexpected came out of it. While visiting, Margaret found out there was a new school being built at the hospital to train occupational therapists. She chatted with a few of the students and just had a feeling—this was what she wanted to do.

At the time, occupational therapy was still quite new and focused a lot on crafts—things like weaving, basket-making, and glove-making. But Margaret was only 18, and you had to be 19 to start the training. Not wanting to waste a year, she looked into further education and ended up at a college in Bilston, where they put together a full year’s course for her, covering all the skills she’d need.

Once she turned 19, she was able to apply for the occupational therapy school. The first two years focused on mental health, and the second two on physical therapy. She admitted she wasn’t naturally drawn to psychiatry, but she stuck with it. Some of the patient experiences were intense. While some were doing well enough to play tennis in the courtyard, others were only seen to once a month. Margaret remembered how, during a new moon, some patients would become very unsettled and had to be placed in padded rooms to keep them safe. But there were good moments too—like putting on shows for the patients, which felt really rewarding.

When it came time to choose a hospital to work in, Margaret decided to go big and applied to St Thomas’s Hospital in London. She got in—and she loved it. London was exciting, and even though the accommodation wasn’t great, the experience made up for it. She stayed with medical students and even attended some of their lectures. She was one of the few who didn’t faint during operations—she actually found them fascinating and often requested to watch. The surgeons were kind and explained what they were doing, which she really appreciated.

After finishing her training and passing her exams, she decided to return to Wolverhampton to be with her parents for a while. She landed her first proper job at the Royal Hospital there. From that point on, she moved between hospitals, gaining experience and eventually meeting the man who would become her husband.

She enjoyed working in different departments, meeting with consultants and tracking patients’ progress. Over time, she found she especially loved working with older people and eventually focused on that completely.

Margaret ended up working in occupational therapy for 20 years. Even after she retired, she missed it. Helping people had meant so much to her—it was more than just a job, it was something she truly loved doing.