Convent of St Joseph, Order of the Poor Clares, York, UK

St Joseph’s was a convent in York formed by the Order of the Poor Clares. The nuns moved to smaller premises then the number of residents dwindled.

St Joseph's Convent, Order of the Poor Clares, York

- Visit Date: February 2014 - October 2015
- Location: York, Yorkshire, UK
- Status: Redevelopment
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- Religious Institutions,
- Urban Exploring
Report Age: 1 year
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St Joseph’s Convent in York was founded in 1864 by a group of sisters who came to York from a convent in Bruges. The Nuns were from the Order of the Poor Clares, who aim to be as self sufficient as possible.

The buildings were designed by a local Roman Catholic ecclesiastical architect, George Goldie, and were built between 1870 and 1875. At its peak during the 1940s, the convent was home to more than 40 nuns, but numbers slowly declined over the years.

The convent is set in 6.3 acres of land and is surrounded by a 15ft wall. Buildings on the estate include The Lodge which is the former Priest’s House as well as The Extern and The Quadrangle, which includes Sisters’ House, The Chapel and Cloister buildings.

St Joseph's Convent of the Poor Clares - Nuns in the grounds and external view of the convent

St Joseph’s Convent of the Poor Clares – Nuns in the grounds and external view of the convent

Our Visits

Visited on a couple of occasions with varying degrees of success. The first visit was cut short when an angry caretaker burst into the room I was shooting in, brandishing a pitchfork pointed firmly in my direction! This was thrust towards me several times while I made a swift exit. Roll forward a couple of years – the place had been sold and we decided it was time to have another look. Unfortunately, all the rooms had been stripped out, so we got some shots around the building and chapel.