Little Charles-street Primitive Methodist Rooms.—Here, in a narrow street leading out of Kensington-square southward, is a very humble building—apparently a former dwelling house—converted into what are termed “Little Charles-street Day and Sunday-schools.” In the upper room the preachers of the Primitive Methodist Connexion hold services on Sundays—morning and evening—at eleven and half-past six. The congregation averages about 40, and the Sunday-school children number about 60.
Palace-avenue Room.—This is a large room sometimes used for other public purposes, at the rear of the King’s Arms Hotel, High-street, Kensington. It has lately been engaged on Sundays for religions worship and preaching, on a professedly unsectarian principle. Hours of service, eleven a.m. and half-past six.
Shaftesbury Hall.—At this hall, situated at the end of the Portland-road, Notting-hill, a mission preaching service is conducted on Sunday evenings at seven, by Mr. William Winton, attached to the City Mission in that district. Mr. Winton is an earnest man, and addresses himself to the working classes of the Potteries and vicinity, and generally has the hall, which will hold about 100, well filled at his services.
Blechynden-street Mission-school.—Here are day and Sunday-schools for the poor children of the Potteries, situated in the lowest part of that poor district. It is a separate building, and answers well its purpose. On Sundays, morning and afternoon, there is school, with an average of 30 to 40 in attendance, including infants. In the evening, at seven, there is preaching by Mr. Norris, a missionary in that part, who gathers a congregation of from 60 to 80. In the day-school, there are about 120 scholars, boys and girls.
Golborne Hall, Golborne-road.—This hall, situated in the new Golborne-road, Upper Westbourne-park, is capable of seating 200 people, and has been opened on Sundays for some twelve months past for Divine Service. It was first engaged for mission services by a clergyman of the Church of England, but is now held by the Rev. Mr. Davis, a Nonconforming preacher, formerly of the Kilburn-park Chapel. Here is something like the nucleus of a society or church, professing to be unsectarian. There is preaching at 11 a.m. and 6.30 p.m. on Sundays, and at 7 on Tuesday evenings, and the Sacrament is administered every first Sunday evening in the month. All the seats are free, and the cause is supported by voluntary weekly offerings. In the morning the congregation contains but few adults; but in the evening it reaches an average of 80 or 90. There is a Sunday-school, with about forty scholars of both sexes in attendance.
Wesleyan Preaching-rooms, Silchester road.—The Wesleyans formerly carried on service in the Silchester-hall, which they hired, but about six months ago adjourned to the present rooms, upon the occasion of the purchase of the hall by the Roman Catholics. Thus excluded from a very commodious place, the present rooms, adjoining Silchester-villas, which are not convenient, are only held temporarily, until a chapel or a better place can be obtained, for funds to provide which an appeal is now being made. There is a good Sunday-school attached, with 300 children on the books, and an average attendance of 100 in the morning and 200 in the afternoon. Between 30 and 40 members compose the society, and the adult public services are attended by numbers varying from 30 to 50 in the morning, and 50 to 80 in the evenings. The “rooms” are included in the Bayswater Wesleyan “Circuit,” and the preaching is arranged for on the plan of that circuit, and principally done by the “local,” with an occasional visit from the itinerant preachers.
CONVENTS.
The Convent of the Order of St. Clare.—A convent of this order of nuns, sometimes termed Clarisses, but more commonly spoken of as the “Poor Clares,” is planted on a fine site, near two acres in extent, in Notting-hill. It comprises two blocks of buildings, one more in the interior of the grounds, and the other abutting upon the main, opposite to Edmund-terrace in the Cornwall-road. Excepting this part, by which communication with the outside world is kept up, through a low, strong, cloistered doorway, the whole premises are enclosed within high brick walls, and along the Ladbroke-grove-road the whole length, from its junction with Cornwall road to that of Blenheim-crescent. Entering by the low door in the Cornwall-road, the visitor finds himself in a shaded vestibule or hall, and having directly on his left the entrance of the convent chapel. This chapel occupies only a small space, being capable of containing, if filled, about fifty worshippers. It is profusely decorated on all sides with images of the Virgin and saints. It has a small altar, and on the right a darkened sacristry. The most noticeable thing—the thing mostly felt—is the profound silence reigning, which the hushed movement of the priest, whose white surplice was just visible in the gloom, only served to make more manifest. The religious offices are performed by priests from the Catholic Church of St. Mary’s, Bayswater. This order of nuns was founded in 1212, by St. Clara—from whom it derives its name—a native of Assisi, in Italy. She adopted the rule of St. Francis in all its rigour, and her followers are absolutely forbidden to have any possessions. There are also other peculiarities in their rules, habit of dress, &c. Those who enter by this door surrender all ownership of earthly treasure, and doom themselves to perpetual poverty; and in the end, on attaining the higher degree of devotion, sever themselves from all contact with and even from the sight of the outer world. In this convent at Notting-hill there are at present about twenty nuns, who are pretty equally divided into the two classes of “Externals” and “Internals,” or, in other words, into those who maintain subdued communications with beyond the walls, and those who are strictly and unchangeably confined within. Very little farther is or can be known of them. The sisters work with their own hands, and, under the direction of the Lady Superior, do all their domestic service according to a prescribed order. Great strictness of discipline is understood to prevail. On ringing at the low door, which is darkened from its depth in the wall, the blind of a small grated window was withdrawn, and a pair of lustrous dark eyes peered through. Anon the door is softly opened; and, in answer to a deferential inquiry as to whether it might be practicable for an outsider to come and look within, the gentle portress—then acting as such in her turn—promptly and with a cheerful air gave permission to enter and see the chapel. This nun carried herself so pleasantly, and answered our queries so readily and agreeably, as almost to ignore the impression so common on these occasions, of secret restraint.
The Convent of the Franciscans.—This has been established in the northern part of the Portobello-road, Notting-hill, about ten years. It is a substantial brick structure, entered by strong conventual doors, and sufficiently enclosed from the profane world. We were politely admitted by the kind sister who attended as portress, to whom we made known our object. “Are you a Catholic?” she asked; “Yes,” was the reply. But the quick-witted sister at once detected the expression of countenance with which the answer was given, and said, smilingly, “Ah, a Protestant Catholic.” We readily accepted this position, and were ushered into a neat waiting-room, pending consultation by our guide with the “rev. mother,” apparently with the view of clearing herself from all responsibility in the matter. In about five minutes she returned with permission for us to see the chapel. This we entered by what is termed the door and chapel of the “Externals.” The compartment is divided into three parts, the outer court, a small chapel in itself appropriated for “Externals,” which in this case means visitors, or such as may occasionally be tarrying in the convent, but who are not really entered in the order. The other part, which resembles the choir in an ordinary church, is sacred to the sisters themselves. The chancel divides the two, which has the altar and the usual furniture, and in the background an effective fresco by Westlake, portraying the “Annunciation” and “Coronation” of the Virgin. This we were allowed to approach; but when we made for the “Nuns’ Choir” below, we were impulsively caught back, and told that none “ever entered there” but the “sisters” themselves. We apologised and retired. There are now between twenty and thirty nuns at this establishment, who appear to enjoy slightly more life than their sisters the “Poor St. Clares.” In a remote room a piano was being played, accompanying a clear, strong voice; and the corridors and apartments through the silence of which it rang were light and cheerful. The order established here is not the strictest sect of St. Francis. The “Poor Clares” are supposed to be that; but the “Franciscans” correspond more with the “Brethren of the Community,” who in the 14th century insisted on mitigating the more austere rules of the founder. Although the recluse life and the vow of poverty are upon them, in practice the severity of these rules is relaxed to meet, in some sort, the varying temperament of human nature. Attached to the convent, at the next door, is a school for poor children, called the “Saint Elizabeth’s Home.” This is entirely managed by the sisters, and contains at present 66 girls, ranging in age from four to fourteen years. The religious ceremonies are here also performed by priests from St. Mary’s, Bayswater.
St. Joseph’s Home of the Little Sisters.—Of all the conventual establishments of the Roman Catholics in West London this is in some respects the most remarkable. It is situated exactly opposite the former building in Portobello-road, a large brick edifice, giving one the impression of a workhouse or hospital, and in fact not unlike them in its objects. It has been founded about four years, and subsists entirely upon voluntary charity. It is a home for the aged and infirm poor of both sexes, and has at the present time no less than 210 inmates. It is under the management of the nuns of the place, known as the “Little Sisters,” which may also be considered as a sect of the order of St. Francis. The Franciscans were first called by the saint Fraterculi, “Little Brethren,” in token of their humility. For a like reason the corresponding order of nuns take the appellation “Little Sisters.” At this place they are foreigners, and of a humble grade. In the former cases the sisters we saw were English, and refined in their deportment and speech; in the present they appeared of another class, but adapted to the work they have to do. The “Rev. Mother,” who is the “matron” of the place, came, with a meek young nun in attendance, to converse with us. She was extremely reticent, and inquisitive as to our motive, concerning which we found it difficult to satisfy her. She, however, readily conducted us through the place, the attendant nun following closely. The chapel is large for a private one, and great care and some expense have been bestowed upon the chancel, altar, and little side chapels—devoted respectively to the Virgin and St. Joseph. Several of the old people were sitting about, saying their Ave Marias, and counting their beads, and a young foreign priest knelt at the railings enclosing the main altar. Perceiving us about to leave without bowing to the altar, the “Rev. Mother,” who had already bowed, turned and bowed again several times, as though in atonement for our omission. The dormitories are large and airy, and closely fitted up with beds down each side, having plain patchwork counterpanes, made with charitable hands, all after the same pattern. In a large room below many of the old men were sitting about at leisure, reading books and newspapers, with which charity accommodates them. In another large compartment the old women were at tea, served up to them in good-sized basins, with plain bread, and butter, if any, invisible. They seemed to be thoroughly enjoying themselves, and rose politely as we passed through. The wards of the infirmary presented the most affecting sight of all. The inmates here were not numerous, and all—with one or two exceptions—very old bedridden people, who appeared to be dying from natural exhaustion in the ordinary course, and, as some of them tearfully and hopefully said, in answer to our few words of encouragement, “Waiting their change.” There were more men than women; and two or three of the males were about in middle life. One of these, the Matron told us, had been in bed for twenty-five years. The “Little Sisters” provide homes for the aged poor, professedly “without distinction of religion;” although, of course, all the internal arrangements are Roman Catholic. They appeal for help to the public, and say they accept “any contributions in money, food, clothing, &c.” They have no funds for the maintenance of the home but what is thus regularly supplied.