Guest TCV Posted June 21, 2008 Share Posted June 21, 2008 Hi I'm new here. Does anyone have any info on St Josephs Orphanage/Home in Walkley? Info like where was it, is it still standing, how do you go about finding information on someone who was placed there? The person I'm interested in finding is my Nan's sister Barbara Calvert born 1933 placed there in 1941 I believe. A rumour is that she ended up in Ireland is there a connection to the orphanage and Ireland, I do know it was a catholic place but did they often send children over to Ireland? Many Thanks Andrew Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest tsavo Posted June 21, 2008 Share Posted June 21, 2008 Hi I'm new here. Does anyone have any info on St Josephs Orphanage/Home in Walkley? Info like where was it, is it still standing, how do you go about finding information on someone who was placed there? The person I'm interested in finding is my Nan's sister Barbara Calvert born 1933 placed there in 1941 I believe. A rumour is that she ended up in Ireland is there a connection to the orphanage and Ireland, I do know it was a catholic place but did they often send children over to Ireland? Many Thanks Andrew This Google Earth map shows the site. It's bounded by Howard Hill, Fulton Rd and Heavygate Rd. It appears to now be yet another housing development. I think there was another building just up the road, at Commonside. For older pictures of the Orphanage try Picture Sheffield. %29little%28%24|[^a-zA-Z]%29%3BAND%3BRef_No_increment%2CTitle%2CLocation%2CFurther_Information%2CKeywords%3BMATCHES%3B%28^|[^a-zA-Z]%29sisters%28%24|[^a-zA-Z]%29%3B"]http://www.picturesh...base_search. PS, welcome to Sheffield History! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HughW Posted June 21, 2008 Share Posted June 21, 2008 St Joseph's closed as an Industrial School/Reformatory in 1931 - (see this page from a site devoted to Industrial Schools). I believe it was then used as a mental hospital, though I don't know its dates. There are several boxes of records of the Reformatory/Industrial School at Sheffield Archives, but only up to 1907. But I found a couple of mentions of St Joseph's Hospital as part of the NHS in the Sheffield Archives catalogue by searching at A2A (Access to Archives). There are several threads about St Joseph's at SheffieldForum. Search for eg Industrial School/orphanage/Howard Hill. Hugh Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest TCV Posted June 22, 2008 Share Posted June 22, 2008 Thanks for that info, my Nan believed her sister had learning difficulties and thought that might be why Barbara may have been separated from the other sisters. Its a shame my Nan would love to know what happened to her sister, there's every chance she could well still be alive, she'd only be in her 70s. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest codders Posted June 22, 2008 Share Posted June 22, 2008 Thanks for that info, my Nan believed her sister had learning difficulties and thought that might be why Barbara may have been separated from the other sisters. Its a shame my Nan would love to know what happened to her sister, there's every chance she could well still be alive, she'd only be in her 70s. Don't know how muh help this may be but I attended st Joesph's, until the early 70's...The Orphanage was used as a home for people with learning difficultes then, and it was all run by Catholic nuns...it may be worth while contacting the Catholic Offices for this area I feel sure they will have kept extensve records. Hope you find who your looking for! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest TCV Posted June 22, 2008 Share Posted June 22, 2008 Don't know how muh help this may be but I attended st Joesph's, until the early 70's...The Orphanage was used as a home for people with learning difficultes then, and it was all run by Catholic nuns...it may be worth while contacting the Catholic Offices for this area I feel sure they will have kept extensve records. Hope you find who your looking for! Cheers, from what I can gather they were a sect called Little sisters of the poor, I just hope that this info if they do have it is allowed to be given. 2 of the sisters my Nan being one only found each about 9 nines years after nearly 60 years and they'd both like to know what happen to Barbara. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest codders Posted June 22, 2008 Share Posted June 22, 2008 Cheers, from what I can gather they were a sect called Little sisters of the poor, I just hope that this info if they do have it is allowed to be given. 2 of the sisters my Nan being one only found each about 9 nines years after nearly 60 years and they'd both like to know what happen to Barbara. It all comes flooding back to me the were called Little Sisters of the poor and I should imagine they will still be going somewhere. If the records aren't in the offices, which I think are in the Catholic Catherdal offices near the Crucible, they may still have them in the Lttle Sisters offices. As an afterthought see if there is any info on the net for a Sisters convent in Ireland!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Waterside Echo Posted October 15, 2008 Share Posted October 15, 2008 My Niece was in St Joseph`s up until it closed in the 70`s. I remember her then going to Rivermead at the Northern General. I don`t know about the buildings, but the church is now Buddhist. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest skeets Posted October 16, 2008 Share Posted October 16, 2008 It all comes flooding back to me the were called Little Sisters of the poor and I should imagine they will still be going somewhere. If the records aren't in the offices, which I think are in the Catholic Catherdal offices near the Crucible, they may still have them in the Lttle Sisters offices. As an afterthought see if there is any info on the net for a Sisters convent in Ireland!!! l believe [little sisters of the poor] were housed for many yrs at the top of Heely bank rd, Skeets Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveHB Posted October 16, 2008 Share Posted October 16, 2008 l believe [little sisters of the poor] were housed for many yrs at the top of Heely bank rd, Skeets 'Cough' ... ! Bottom of Heeley Bank Rd, skeets A link to member carlie167 Steve Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest skeets Posted October 16, 2008 Share Posted October 16, 2008 'Cough' ... ! Bottom of Heeley Bank Rd, skeets A link to member carlie167 photograph Steve hI STEVE why the bottom ?from Queens rd it must have been 5/6 mins walk to the gates, Cheers Arthur. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveHB Posted October 16, 2008 Share Posted October 16, 2008 hI STEVE why the bottom ?from Queens rd it must have been 5/6 mins walk to the gates, Cheers Arthur. But Heeley Bank Rd doesn't go to Queens Rd, Arthur Steve Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dunsbyowl1867 Posted October 16, 2008 Share Posted October 16, 2008 It all comes flooding back to me the were called Little Sisters of the poor and I should imagine they will still be going somewhere. If the records aren't in the offices, which I think are in the Catholic Catherdal offices near the Crucible, they may still have them in the Lttle Sisters offices. As an afterthought see if there is any info on the net for a Sisters convent in Ireland!!! A couple of nuns called into my office in London a few weeks ago (looking for donations) they looked after my great great grandad at Heeley. Anyhow contact details from the calendar they gave me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dunsbyowl1867 Posted October 16, 2008 Share Posted October 16, 2008 A couple of nuns called into my office in London a few weeks ago (looking for donations) they looked after my great great grandad at Heeley. Anyone contact details from the calendar they gave me. The book I have states that St Josephs reformatory was managed by the "Sisters of Charity" which is not the same order a the LSof the Poor! They purchased the building and oped it in 1861. The reformatory eventually became a hospital for the mentally ill and was closed in 1983 when the hospital was demolished anf the land sold for building. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest plain talker Posted October 16, 2008 Share Posted October 16, 2008 I nursed, briefly, at St Josephs shortly before it closed, dunsbyowl, in the early eighties (1982). It mostly housed younger people with learning difficulties and severe physical disabilities. The NHS took the hospital/ home over from the Sisters of charity order. When the hospital closed, the chapel became a Buddhist centre, and a Housing Association (South Yorkshire HA) built a development of flats on the land. The patients who lived in the hospital were moved to a "re-jigged" Lightwood House hospital at Norton, and /or (for those who could manage it) Supported- housing in the community. the hospital was reputed to be haunted, (though I never saw anything, myself, I found the hospital extremely spooky) and I loathed the walk up and down the dark lonely wooded drive at the start and end of my shift. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest skeets Posted October 17, 2008 Share Posted October 17, 2008 hI STEVE why the bottom ?from Queens rd it must have been 5/6 mins walk to the gates, Cheers Arthur.Hi Steve l concede,thanks for the map. skeets. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveHB Posted October 18, 2008 Share Posted October 18, 2008 Hi Steve l concede,thanks for the map. skeets. So you have 'thrown the towel in' then skeets These now stand whare the Little Sisters once stood Some of the original walls are still there along with a gate house Steve Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
huthwaite Posted November 6, 2008 Share Posted November 6, 2008 So you have 'thrown the towel in' then skeets These now stand whare the Little Sisters once stood Some of the original walls are still there along with a gate house Steve My Mum nursed there for a short while as part of her nursing training in the Fifties, I remember her telling me that she saw a young girl chained to the wall to prevent her from self harming, apparently she was little more than an animal. Mum asked one of the Irish nurses why such children were allowed to live, the nurse replied that everyone had a soul! Mum also told me that a number of the staff were young girls who had "disgraced" themselves and were sent there to nurse by way of penance, plus it was easier to place "unwanted" babies in England. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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