Where
In the historic centre of York, close to Micklegate.
What
Situated in a Grade I-listed Georgian house, the Bar Convent is the oldest working convent in the UK. It has occupied the site since its foundation in 1686, at a time when it was illegal to be a Catholic.
Mary Ward, the guiding light behind the convent and its order, the Congregation of Jesus, set out a plan for its creation in 1609, making 2009 her 400th jubilee year. The convent complex includes a museum, conference centre, cafe, shop and 18 rooms, which can accommodate visitors.
Opened
In 1987, when a charitable trust was created to establish the museum, shop and accommodation enterprise.
Collection
Exhibitions about the history of Christianity in the north of England. On the ground floor, the museum has facsimiles of written material explaining the Reformation. Upstairs, there is memorabilia from the former school, religious artefacts and paintings, including a copy of the Crucifixion scene by Eustache Le Soeur - the convent sold the original to the National Gallery in 1994.
"The sale rescued us from closure," says Jo Dodd, business manager at the trust. In the chapel, there is a relic - a bone - from St Margaret Clitherow's hand. "She was a local martyr who was crushed to death in 1585 in York for harbouring a priest," says Dodd.
Help at hand
There are 15 full-time employees and 21 part-timers, says Dodd. There is also a team of 20 volunteers and three nuns act as trustees; the sister in charge is Sister Mary Walmsley.
Budget
"Mostly from fundraising," says Dodd. The profits from the convent's trading subsidiary, the Bar Convent Enterprises, are ploughed back into the complex.
Visits
In 2008/09, the complex had 56,000 visitors, with 2,500 entering the museum. Admission is free.
Highlights
Dodd lists an 18th-century spiritual dial, "rather like a barometer", as among her favourite items. Made of straw, with a spinning needle and set within a wooden frame, the dial points its user towards ways "to revere God at that moment".
There is also a chapel, built in secret in 1769 - the builders were told it was to be an assembly room - with eight emergency exits lest the priest and his congregation be discovered. "We only discovered the priest hole when we were putting in electric cables."
Survival tip
"Make sure that you give everyone the same attention and the best visitor experience you can, because you never know who they are or who they may know," Dodd says.
Sticky moment
"We were mobbed in 1696 by a fanatical gang from the pub opposite," relates Dodd. "The occupants of the convent credited the sudden appearance of St Michael on his horse with their survival."
Current project
Mary Ward's jubilee year is accompanied by substantial fundraising plans. "We're trying to raise £500,000, with £100,000 of this needed for renovations, new guides and archiving," says Dodd. The museum will close temporarily in March 2010 to allow work to begin. (The rest of the convent will remain open.)
An application has been made to the Heritage Lottery Fund. The convent is also waiting for news on Ward's beatification: "She is on the first stage to becoming a saint," says Dodd.
In the historic centre of York, close to Micklegate.
What
Situated in a Grade I-listed Georgian house, the Bar Convent is the oldest working convent in the UK. It has occupied the site since its foundation in 1686, at a time when it was illegal to be a Catholic.
Mary Ward, the guiding light behind the convent and its order, the Congregation of Jesus, set out a plan for its creation in 1609, making 2009 her 400th jubilee year. The convent complex includes a museum, conference centre, cafe, shop and 18 rooms, which can accommodate visitors.
Opened
In 1987, when a charitable trust was created to establish the museum, shop and accommodation enterprise.
Collection
Exhibitions about the history of Christianity in the north of England. On the ground floor, the museum has facsimiles of written material explaining the Reformation. Upstairs, there is memorabilia from the former school, religious artefacts and paintings, including a copy of the Crucifixion scene by Eustache Le Soeur - the convent sold the original to the National Gallery in 1994.
"The sale rescued us from closure," says Jo Dodd, business manager at the trust. In the chapel, there is a relic - a bone - from St Margaret Clitherow's hand. "She was a local martyr who was crushed to death in 1585 in York for harbouring a priest," says Dodd.
Help at hand
There are 15 full-time employees and 21 part-timers, says Dodd. There is also a team of 20 volunteers and three nuns act as trustees; the sister in charge is Sister Mary Walmsley.
Budget
"Mostly from fundraising," says Dodd. The profits from the convent's trading subsidiary, the Bar Convent Enterprises, are ploughed back into the complex.
Visits
In 2008/09, the complex had 56,000 visitors, with 2,500 entering the museum. Admission is free.
Highlights
Dodd lists an 18th-century spiritual dial, "rather like a barometer", as among her favourite items. Made of straw, with a spinning needle and set within a wooden frame, the dial points its user towards ways "to revere God at that moment".
There is also a chapel, built in secret in 1769 - the builders were told it was to be an assembly room - with eight emergency exits lest the priest and his congregation be discovered. "We only discovered the priest hole when we were putting in electric cables."
Survival tip
"Make sure that you give everyone the same attention and the best visitor experience you can, because you never know who they are or who they may know," Dodd says.
Sticky moment
"We were mobbed in 1696 by a fanatical gang from the pub opposite," relates Dodd. "The occupants of the convent credited the sudden appearance of St Michael on his horse with their survival."
Current project
Mary Ward's jubilee year is accompanied by substantial fundraising plans. "We're trying to raise £500,000, with £100,000 of this needed for renovations, new guides and archiving," says Dodd. The museum will close temporarily in March 2010 to allow work to begin. (The rest of the convent will remain open.)
An application has been made to the Heritage Lottery Fund. The convent is also waiting for news on Ward's beatification: "She is on the first stage to becoming a saint," says Dodd.
Links
www.bar-convent.org.uk
www.bar-convent.org.uk