New Mission House Childrens Home, Oakfield Road
Photo reference number: 1503
Old postcard view, posted 1908.
The sign in the garden reads: "New Mission Childrens Home for the Clewer Sisters of St John the Baptist Newport. Architects ??????? London & HJ Griggs Newport. Contractor John Charles Newport."
The Clewer Sisters are now known as the Community of St. John Baptist (CSJB), an Anglican religious order of Augustinian nuns.
According to Wikipedia: "The Community was founded in England in 1852 by Harriet Monsell (the first Superior), a clergy widow, and Thomas Thellusson Carter, a priest at Windsor. The purpose of the order was to help marginalised women - mainly single mothers, the homeless and sex trade workers - by providing them shelter and teaching them a trade. The work of the sisters expanded to include administering and working in orphanages, schools, convalescent hospitals, soup kitchens, and women's hostels.
The Community is conspicuous amongst Anglican communities for its meteoric rise in numbers from the date of the foundation. By the time of Carter's death in 1901 there were some 300 Sisters. At its height, the Community had some 45 priories and branch houses." (See link below.)
We understand that this Children's Refuge was established in 1885 for neglected and abused children and was closed in 1940.
Nowadays the building has been converted into flats and is known as Clewer Court.
