Our history - The House of St Barnabas

Points of historic interest

The House of St Barnabas-in-Soho was founded in 1846.
N^o 1 Greek Street contains some of the finest examples of Georgian plasterwork decoration in a private house in London.
The adjoining chapel, in Manette Street, is a beautiful example of the 'Oxford Movement' style.
The magnificent plaster decoration with its exuberant swags of flowers and fruits were made possible through the extreme wealth of Richard Beckford, first occupant of the second house to be built on this site. Richard was the youngest son of a wealthy English family of planters who exported sugar, rum and molasses from Jamaica to England.
In May 1811, the house became the offices of the Westminster Commissioners of Sewers, later known as the Metropolitan Board of Works. Under the great civil engineer Sir Joseph Bazalgette, this remarkable body of men were responsible for designing 86 miles of sewers and 120 miles of surface drainage for Central London.
Research suggests that the Historic Rooms of the House of St Barnabas were Charles Dickens' imagined rooms for Dr Manette and Lucie who also sat in the garden "under the plane trees."
The House has a cantilevered 'crinoline' staircase, which extends through five floors. It is called 'crinoline' because the railings are shaped to allow for the wide 18th century ladies' skirts.

History of the charity

In 1846 Dr Henry Monro and Mr Roundell Palmer (a barrister who became Lord Chancellor and was created the first Earl of Selborne) founded the House of Charity, later to be known as the House of St Barnabas-in-Soho. It had two main aims: to help the "better class of deserving poor" and to provide a means for "like minded people to help those less fortunate than themselves".

The charity was their way of putting their faith into action. Their friends and acquaintances became Associate Members of the charity and were not only committed to helping the charity financially but fulfilled the role of our present day support workers. These volunteers would befriend the "inmates", as residents were then called, and write letters of recommendation to future employers.

The charity was first based in Rose Street, now called Manette Street and moved to Greek Street in 1863.

Our casebooks, which are kept in the Westminster Archives, demonstrate the care and support that was provided from the start. At a time when families would be separated if they went into the workhouse, the House kept them together as a unit. It also accepted servant girls who had lost their jobs and would provide them with a reference and thus keep them off the streets.

The charity has always responded to the needs of the time. In the aftermath of the Russian revolution we helped Russian émigrés. Recently we have helped women from many other countries where there is conflict or war.

The charity continued to provide for the homeless up to the Second World War. During the War, the building sustained bomb damage and was subsequently requisitioned for war work. Immediately after the war, it became home to ex service women and this decision provided the new direction for the charity. Since 1946 we have helped homeless women. In 1961 the name was changed from The House of Charity to the House of St Barnabas-in-Soho.

History of the building

The outside of the house looks like many other Georgian properties in London but inside is a different matter. Built in 1746 as a shell with no internal doors, plasterwork or balustrade, it remained like this until 1754 when the lease was acquired by Richard Beckford for £2400.

Richard was the youngest son of an immensely rich English family of Jamaican planters, who produced and exported sugar, rum and molasses. After leaving Westminster school Richard matriculated at Balliol College, Oxford and graduated at University College. He was admitted to the Middle Temple in 1730.

In 1754 when he came to N^o 1 Greek Street he was elected Member of Parliament for Bristol and in the same year, like his more famous brother William, he became an Alderman of the City of London. In 1755 he became Prime Warden of the Goldsmiths' Company. Richard was responsible for creating the beautiful interior that we enjoy today.

You really need to visit the House to appreciate the quality of the interior and admire the many original features. One of these is the front door and another the staircase leading to the first floor. Climbing the wide stairway to the galleried landing, the visitor can appreciate the quality of the plasterwork on the landing, which includes swags of flowers, a goddess, lion's head and swirling scrollwork. But it is the Council Room which is the jewel. Originally the drawing room of the house, it has a magnificent ceiling; in the corners there are gods' heads representing the four seasons and in the central oval medallion are four putti holding in their hands the symbols of the four elements: earth, water, fire and air. These Historic Rooms are open to the public on the first Monday of every month, unless it is a Bank Holiday when they are open on the Tuesday. The rest of the time they are available for hire and a portion of the rental income is used to support the work of the charity.

History of the chapel

The Chapel was built between 1862 and 1864 on the site of the stables. The architect was Joseph Clarke and the original plans for the site included a refectory with dormitories above and a cloister.

According to the Annual Report of 1928 the plan of the chapel "was suggested and partly designed from the plans of a Romanesque chapel attached to the abbey of Montmajeur, Arles, France".

The Chapel is important as one of the first religious buildings erected under the influence of the Oxford Movement, the religious revival inspired by Pusey, Keble and Newman. They called themselves Tractarians and sought to emphasise the medieval and Catholic nature of the Church of England's form of worship.

In 1848 the Bishop of London, Bishop Tait, became Visitor to the charity and his successors continue to hold this office. The present Bishop of London, Richard Chartres, is an enthusiastic supporter of the charity.

The Christian faith was at the heart of the Charity and in the early days the "inmates" were expected to "attend Divine Service at the Parish Church in the Sunday forenoon and every evening and on other days at eight in the morning and eight fifteen in the evening".

Until the Second World War, the seating in the nave was arranged as in a college chapel, with chairs facing each other and not towards the altar. These chairs were used by the Sisters of Clewer, Trustees and others. The residents were expected to sit on the hard stone seats in the side apses. The Sisters of Clewer were one of the earliest Anglican women's communities for flowered in the early days of the Oxford Movement and the Sisters were responsible for the day-to-day running of the hostel until 1939.

During the Second World War, the Chapel sustained bomb damage. The original stained glass windows and roof were destroyed. The apse above the altar had originally been painted with the Passion of Christ and the windows commemorated the Charity's founders and supporters. The present windows behind the altar represent, from left to right, St Edward the Confessor, St Barnabas holding the Chapel in his arms, St Paul preaching and St John the Baptist holding the Chapel of the Sisters of Clewer in his arms. The windows in the side apses represent the Stations of the Cross and the Annunciation. These windows date from 1958.

The organ was built by the firm of J W Walker in 1875 at a cost of £250 and was enlarged by them in 1884. It is unusual because the organist sits at a right angle to the pipes, rather than underneath. It is in need of major restoration and has been recognised as being special by the British Society of Organ Studies, who have given it a Grade II certificate.