Prior to World War II and into the start 1950’s John Sisson MRCVS was the sole Practioner in Bromsgrove working out of his home in New Road. He died in 1954.
In the meantime a local lad Michael Overton who had lived with his parents a few doors away in New Road and had seen practice as a student with John Sisson, qualified as a veterinary surgeon in January 1950 at London University. Michael married local girl Elizabeth Storr in 1951 and they set up practice at 34 Stourbridge Road which has only recently been sold and is now a children’s nursery. John Sisson’s business had been mostly large animal practice whereas Michael started to include small animal practice.
In his first 15 years Michael Overton had one or two assistants who did not stay for long but early in 1965 he was joined by Hamish Wilson a Bristol graduate. The practice continued to expand with the increase of the small animal work and Michael’s increasing interest in equine work. In the 1970’s with the practice expanding it was joined by Robert Walker an Edinburgh graduate who had been working in Africa. At this point the partnership of Overton, Wilson & Walker was formed and a year or two later they were joined by Tony Barnby who had been in practice in the Lake District.
The practice of Overton, Wilson, Walker & Barnby flourished and at the end of the 1970’s a branch was opened in Droitwich. The branch surgery in Rubery had been in existence since the early 1960s although about this time it moved from behind a toy shop to a premises on the street front.
In 1989 there was a parting of the ways and Messers Wilson, Walker & Barnby split away from Michael Overton and set up a new practice at 168 Birmingham Road. The practice in Stourbridge Road continued on with Michael Overton taking on new partners and eventually easing off and finally retiring before his death in 2002. That practice became Clent Hills Practice with a branch in West Hagley and an equine clinic in Blakedown. They finally left the Stourbridge Road premises and now have a premises in the middle of the town.
The Partnership of Wilson, Walker & Barnby set up the basis of Townsend Veterinary Practice in a converted house at 168 Birmingham Road and the Practice prospered over the first 10 years at which point in 2009 they constructed a purpose-built premises in the grounds of number 168 and moved into it in the year 2000. Soon after this it was realised that there was a better future in small animal work and the large animal side was almost totally given up in 2004.
Robert Walker retired from the partnership in 2006 after a period of illness. At this point the name Townsend Veterinary Practice became the normal title. Hamish Wilson and Tony Barnby continued the practice until on the 2nd February 2015 they were bought out by CVS (UK) Ltd. Both continued on for three to four months working part-time when they finally left the practice. In Hamish Wilson’s case a month or two more than 50 years continuous practice in Bromsgrove
