Guest Blog -Mill Hill memories - St Vincent’s Orphanage on the Ridgeway Mill Hill by Chris Fanning

By Chris Fanning,

In 1885 a French Order of Catholic Nuns known as the “Daughters of Charity of St Vincent de Paul”, purchased land and a large residential house up on the Ridgeway called “Littleberries” in order to found a convent, junior school and orphanage. The junior school built in 1896 was located just off the Ridgway as the primary school for local Catholic Children. Further down the steep cobbled lane running alongside the school and nestling at the bottom of the Totteridge Valley were built a larger imposing complex of Victorian buildings already operating from 1887 as an orphanage.

 This large white brick building complex with redbrick arches is set around a central tower surmounted by an iron Cross over low sloping roofs with deep overhanging eaves; designed by F.W. Tasker of Hampstead; who also designed the copper domed Church of St Joseph’s on Highgate Hill as well as many other notable Catholic churches and buildings for the Catholic community. The Orphanage was a residence for homeless and orphaned children for nearly a century. However, before the centenary of the orphanage was reached; it was closed by the late nineteen seventies due to a large reduction of needy infant babies and Local Authorities choosing to care for children in smaller communities. For a while these buildings were converted to a retreat centre until ultimately sold for redevelopment as private housing. I visited the premises during that time and took several pictures of it being partially dismantled and converted since I had many memories of that place.

The Orphanage block

 Many unfortunate children spent their childhood there and moved on in life but will never forget being raised for a while in this residential home and some former residents have written on line about their experiences of their time living there. I was able to have an insight into what life at St Vincent’s was like as my Brother George and I spent the cold and snowy winter of 1962 – 63 there from October to April during a period when our Mum was unwell and pregnant; so being from a large family we were sent there to reduce the numbers to care for at home.

 

The old St Vincents School and playgroung

We attended the Primary school as usual, but instead of going home after school, we walked down the lane to the Care Home. When the schoolkids were unable to access the school because of the deep snows of January 1963 prevented access to the day School, we had to join classes at the orphanage instead and also because the term times were slightly different. We felt very confined and trapped in this Victorian place especially when our parents were also unable to visit us when inaccessible. Life was pretty gloomy during those months of severe cold, with short dark days and very icy conditions. I recall gazing out of the front upper window at the life size statue of St Vincent which stood in front of the entrance with a thick snowy coat covering his frame for months on end and also recall seeing the icicles hanging down from the gutters until they extended right down to ground level.

 Dad collected us for home visits on both Christmas day and Boxing Day to celebrate the festivities at home. He decided to rush us back at around 4pm on Boxing day as the snow was falling hard. My cousins called in and we watched as they started to roll a huge snowball as the snow gathered quickly in the back garden. Dad, noticed how quickly it was laying with the ground surfaces being covered over with a deepening white blanket of snow. He said we must get you two back now or the car won’t get up Hammers Hill in this weather, so he hurriedly drove us up to the Ridgway in his Ford Consul car getting increasingly concerned as he was driving that he would not make it because a blizzard was now raging. He dropped us off in the late afternoon at the top of the cobbled lane then turned to get home without taking a chance driving down the steep lane and so we felt like artic explorers as we headed down to the front door in a blizzard as we reached the front door we were smothered in snow. We were unable to get a home visit after that for several weeks as the snow and ice made access impossible. So we had to make the most of our time there. We had days out trudging along the Ridgeway during drier periods walking on deep crispy and freezing icy snow covered pavements when the snowfall let up, but it always came back and topped up overlaying what was already frozen on the ground. Hands and feet went numb with the cold.

 

The Old St Vincents School hall

We mixed and befriended the other kids, but knew little of their backgrounds and discovered that they were there for different reasons and were not all orphans. There were some high points like being asked to learn and sing the words of the song “gilly gilly” by Max Bygraves who possibly used the chorus we sung in his song at the time. He made a visit to meet the children and presents were offered to the sisters to distribute. There were several outings for Christmas and I recall seeing Peter Pan on ice at Wembley, Bertram Mills Circus and a shows about Noddy in Toyland and Humpty Dumpty. Most of the kids seemed happy enough and some; like me, had siblings with them for company, but for us; we just wanted to get back home and when we finally did the memories of our stay, both good and not so good remained with us for a long time. I can’t help wondering how those others fared as they grew up. What was strange is that the kids from the orphanage and Primary school never mixed so we had a foot in both camps but they were quite different and mostly isolated worlds. Student Priests from Mill Hill college would visit and took charge of the scout group and entertained the children.

 Occasionally we visited the nursery where the tiny Babies were separately cared for by nuns and lay staff who wore white nursing tunics, the sound of babies crying could sometimes be heard across the building divide to the junior’s block. The nearby laundry was a hot steaming place dripping in condensation, it was run by a strong sturdy Irish Sister dressed in a full white habit with her Cornet clipped back on her head, labouring strenuously in that hot humid environment with a big red face and dripping in sweat; in the summer it must have been awful for her. There was also the infirmary building managed by a very kind and friendly Sister who was most dedicated, it was like a small hospital ward. All these separate buildings are now demolished.

Demolition works at the Orphanage

 Life has moved on but most of the buildings; whilst altered and adapted still stand. The screams and cries of children playing outside which could be heard across the site in the primary school are no longer heard any more neither at the primary school or the residential home.  The original primary school was closed when the new school was built in the cows’ field opposite. The larger classroom block is now converted as a dwelling place but several of the independent buildings were demolished. When the school relocated over the road, the stone statue of St Vincent, which stood outside the residential home, was relocated in the new school grounds. I witnessed the demolition of the orphanage and approached the Sisters at that time to inform them that a parish were building a new Church to St Vincent in Osterley and would like to place the Cross from the orphanage tower on top of the new Church tower; the request was graciously granted and the cross handed over. This restored iron cross now stands resplendent and gilded on the top of that new church tower. A stone statue of Our lady with the infant Child was taken from the front of the former infant care building, from above the place where babies were rested on the open veranda in the summer. The statue is now sitting above the front entrance doors of the Catholic Church in Whetstone.

 In one part of the Orphanage there was a long communicating corridor and as you entered from the outside you could look up and see a small statue of Our Lady of Lourdes resting in a brick niche. I asked what had become of it; as I recalled looking up at it when residing there and of course the same can be said of the many children who entered that building throughout the decades. The Nuns had placed it in storage area inside the convent chapel. I asked if I could take it home and place it in my garden as a memento of my time spent there; the Sisters kindly agreed. It now has pride of place in brick niche built to enclose it as you can see in the attached picture. Also attached are pictures of the school and old orphanage buildings before all was changed. 

 The Orphanage was once a renowned part of Mill Hill and like Inglis Barracks and the medical Institute further along, it is no longer there. I am able to share a few memories of the few months spent there in the coldest winter in my memory - now a full sixty years ago.  Many former residents will have now passed away so I take this opportunity to record what I remember, but I am sure that there are many with quite different memories as I was the lucky one who was able to return to my home and re-join my family after our short time residing there. 

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Chris Fanning has a long standing family association with Mill Hill.  Theresa Musgrove has also written about the orphanage on her blog. 

Guest blogs are always welcome at The Barnet Eye.