St Michael’s Convent (formerly Park Hill)
By Sister Mary Kenefick SMG
In Spring 2021, one hundred and thirty three years of ministry in Streatham, South West London came to an end. Back in 1888, the newly formed Religious Congregation of the Poor Servants of the Mother of God, was just sixteen years in existence. The Foundress, Venerable Mother Magdalen Taylor - whose ministry and mission to the poor, the destitute, the voiceless and those caught up in prostitution was gathering momentum - sought a property outside the city centre. As ever Divine Providence came to her rescue. Through her contacts with Bishop Butt, Bishop of Southwark, she became aware of a vacant property, Russell House, Streatham. Here in May 1888, she opened a refuge for vulnerable women dedicated to St Mary Magdalen.
Russell House, the first convent of the Poor Servants of the Mother of God
The estate was the property of Mr R.H. Measures and the Poor Servants of the Mother of God, who with financial support from the Duchess of Buccleuch and others, acquired the leasehold of the property. Cardinal Manning also stepped in, in the most effective way he could, by preaching a homily to a crowded congregation on “Fallen Women” at the Church of the Immaculate Conception, Farm Street, on the feast of St Mary Magdalen 1888, thus giving Venerable Mother Magdalen Taylor moral and financial support for her new ministry.
Frontal of the original Convent Chapel Altar, now in the Church of the English Martyrs. The 1st Mass since the Reformation was celebrated on it in Russell House.
A letter in the P.S.M.G, archives shows some outcomes from the ministry of the early Sisters. By 1895 a new refectory was built and opened on 12 February. That same year forty-seven young women were received into the home; seven were received into the Church and made their First Holy Communion. Later in the year forty-six were received into the home, and fifteen placed out in situations. Progress was being made.
Thus the foundation of over a hundred years of social outreach ministry had begun. In subsequent years this ministry changed and developed as the needs of the times demanded.
“Pastoral work continued to be carried out, and from the beginning of the foundation, visitation of the poor, as well as catechism classes, some of which were taken in the large convent garden, were regularly carried out. As late as 1979, it was recorded that 2,000 meals had been served to the poor that year from the convent. The Sisters had also taken responsibility for sacristy work in the parish church.”
It was here at St Mary’s Convent that many of the early Sisters who contacted TB spent their last days. Fr William Lloyd PP was most supportive to the SMG community. He encouraged them to be in charge of the sacristy and all that it entailed until they became too ill to do so.
The work of St Mary’s Convent which had developed so rapidly until 1923 made room for another property to be purchased from Sir Henry Tate known as Park Hill (renamed St Michael’s Convent) to take over the refuge work for vulnerable women transferred from St. Mary’s Convent. In the 1970’s there was a fresh phase of improvements thus accommodating about 70 women. By 1980 a variety of services for adults of all denominations was provided as was full-time education by local establishments. Leisure activities, short-term accommodation and respite care were also provided. In the fifties some of the land at Park Hill was donated to the diocese of Southwark for the building of Bishop Thomas Grant School.
St Michael’s closed in 1993 and the SMG Sisters provided its residents with more family-like residential accommodation in the community. The grounds of St Michael’s hosted the Corpus Christi processions annually. From 1888 there was a huge growth of Catholic population with both primary and secondary school along with the flourishing Church of English Martyrs.
From 1923 onwards various improvements were made to St Mary’s Convent and it became St. Mary’s Nursing Home.
In recent times the Sisters were collaborating with St Leonard’s Anglican Church in the running of the Spires Centre offering hospitality to homeless people. Various other forms of Chaplaincy have been supported by our Sisters: Brixton Prison, Hospital Chaplaincy and Chaplaincy to people in Independent Living at Norbury, and the Nursing Home in Streatham, while one Sister volunteered with Refugees at the Brixton Centre.
SMG footprint in Streatham has been very large and many SMG Sisters made untold contributions to the whole picture. We can now close our story in the words of Venerable Mother Magdalen Taylor, “Let Deo Gratias be ever on our lips.”