The material below is taken from the web page Unless otherwise indicated, content is copyright Peter Higginbotham and may not be re-published without permission.

Nazareth House, Southampton, Hampshire

A Nazareth House was opened in 1923 in a property known as Springhill House, on Hill Lane, Southampton. As was usual with Nazareth Houses, the home provided accommodation for the aged poor, and for orphan and destitute children — primarily Roman Catholic girls. Unmarried mothers and their babies were also housed at the establishment.

Nazareth House, Southampton, c.1925. © Peter Higginbotham

During the Second World War, the home was evacuated to Wardour Castle at Tisbury in Wiltshire. In 1940, the Southampton building was destroyed by wartime bombing. After the war, the Sisters took up residence at Melchet Court, near Romsey, but moved back to Southampton in the 1950s after a new building was erected on the Hill Lane site.

The accommodation for single mothers was closed in 1985. In 2000, the site was sold and is now covered by modern housing.

Records

Note: many repositories impose a closure period of up to 100 years for records identifying individuals. Before travelling a long distance, always check that the records you want to consult will be available.

  • Sisters of Nazareth Archive, Sisters of Nazareth Archive, Nazareth House, 169-175 Hammersmith Road, London W6 8DB. The archivist is Christine Hughes. The archive contains material from the very beginnings of the order in the 1850s up until the present day. The archive is not open to the public and does not have facilities for personal searchers, although exceptions can be made for Sisters and for academic researchers. Enquiries are welcomed by post only for privacy and confidentiality reasons and replies are by also letter. There is no fee for dealing with enquiries, although donations to the Sisters are appreciated.

Bibliography

Except where indicated, this page () © Peter Higginbotham. Contents may not be reproduced without permission.