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Brunswick House Hostel, “for Deaf and Dumb Girls who have no homes and are lonely in their affliction”
By H Dominic W Stiles, on 31 October 2014
In 1919 the Brunswick House Hostel for Deaf and Dumb Girls was founded at 19, Beaulieu Villas, Manor Gate, Finsbury park in North London. It seems that a moving spirit behind the foundation was Mrs Herbert Jones, who was I believe the wife of the Rev. Vernon Jones, Chaplain to the Deaf in North London. It aimed “to provide a safe and comfortable home for deaf and dumb girls who are alone in the world, or whose relations are unable, or unwilling, to look after them.” (Annual Report 1929, p.1)
In August 1930 they were given six weeks notice to leave Beaulieu Villas as they were required by “the Electric Railway Company, in connection with the new Tube Railway Station that will be built at Manor Gate, Finsbury Park” (Annual Report, 1930 p.3), but they were fortunate to find a house opposite the St. John of Beverley centre in Green Lanes (see image below). The house is still there.
Here is one of the worthy patronesses, Lady Barrett, Chairman of the hostel, who was “Called Home” in 1930. Other founding members were Lady Maxwell Lyte, Lady Baddeley (wife of a Lord Mayor of London), Mrs. Edmondson, Mrs. Firminger, Mrs. H.R. Oxley (I am not clear if this was a relative of Selwyn Oxley), Mrs. A. J. Wilson (see earlier entries for her husband), Mrs. Wise, Mrs. Hankey and Mrs. Woods.
I do not wish to belittle the efforts of these people, but for some of them at least it was clearly one of those cases when those with wealth found charitable work that sat comfortably with their weltanschauung.*
When the home closed we do not know, but I suspect that the war may have meant they were evacuated, and the improved social welfare of the post-war years saw many changes to these small charities, with closures or state institutions taking over.
Annual Reports, 1929, 1930, 1931, 1933, 1938
Update 5/11/2014: Thanks to @DeafHeritageUK for pointing out that we have a couple of photos of the hostel prior to the move, including this one with Selwyn Oxley enjoying tea with the ladies, probably in the early 1920s and around March or April from the daffodils on the table.
6 Responses to “Brunswick House Hostel, “for Deaf and Dumb Girls who have no homes and are lonely in their affliction””
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H Dominic W Stiles wrote on 7 November 2014:
Oxley was in some respects the founder of this library, or a collection that joined this one after the war.
Here is a picture of him
https://blogs.ucl.ac.uk/library-rnid/tag/selwyn-oxley/
I should do a blog item about him some time, but briefly he was introduced to the world of the deaf by chance and made the world of the Deaf and hard of Hearing his ‘mission’ in life (with heavy emphasis on the religious aspect of ‘mission’). It is thanks to his obsessive collecting that we have much of our library collection and archives.
Silent Worker has 13 entries with his name http://tinyurl.com/q3u2xo5 -
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Hugh wrote on 10 June 2019:
Is there any chance of seeing the other photos you have of the Sevens SIsters Rd (Beaulieu Villas) Premises
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H Dominic W Stiles wrote on 11 June 2019:
You are welcome to come & look at our photos but I do not think there are many of the hostel…
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Melinda Napier wrote on 16 May 2020:
My mother and her sister were ‘guests’ at this Hostel. They were packed off to London by their deaf father who was a great friend of Canon Vernon Jones as soon as they reached the age of 16 in 1939 and 1936 respectively. My mum stayed only 9 months as they were sent home to Truro on the day the war was declared. I believe they were one of the last residents of this hostel.
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josee dachelet wrote on 6 July 2020:
My husband’s great grandfather lived at Beaulieu villas 20 during the first world war. His name was Georges Van Doorslaer. I think he left London in 1919 to return to Belgium. He was doctor, specialised in throat, nose ear diseases. Is it possible that he had something to do with the institute? It seems that they lived in the same building?! I can’t find any picture of this building. Can you help me?
greetings from Belgium
Josee
Who was Selwyn Oxley? I recall a classroom at Mary Hare named after him.