UCL BLOOMSBURY PROJECT

History

It was opened by Louisa Twining at 20 Queen Square in April 1866 as a home for the epileptic and the elderly, following the success of her Home for Incurables at 22 New Ormond Street

Twining described the house itself as “a charming and spacious old mansion of Queen Anne date, with a noble old oak staircase, offering just the accommodation required, with a large garden at the back, and fine trees, besides the old conduit of some centuries ago, an interesting stone passage leading to a well, which was often explored by visitors, and once by Mr J. H. Parker, of Oxford” (Louisa Twining, Recollections of Life and Work: Being the Autobiography of Louisa Twining, 1893)

Twining herself moved to 20 Queen Square and lived alongside the Home (Louisa Twining, Recollections of Life and Work: Being the Autobiography of Louisa Twining, 1893)

In 1868 there was a trial of nursing training at the Home, but it was not successful; it was, however, revived rather more successfully 11 years later (Louisa Twining, Recollections of Life and Work: Being the Autobiography of Louisa Twining, 1893)

Twining also negotiated with Sir Walter Crofton, “who had just opened a Home for discharged female prisoners in Queen Square” and she took some of them on trial as servants in the last months of their detention, over the next two years (Louisa Twining, Recollections of Life and Work: Being the Autobiography of Louisa Twining, 1893)

This experiment was also unsuccessful and had to be abandoned after the trial period; the women were fine while with her, but not when let loose, as they returned to drink and ended up back at the Home under its “charming lady superintendent” (Louisa Twining, Recollections of Life and Work: Being the Autobiography of Louisa Twining, 1893)

It had a room used as a chapel, with services on St Luke’s Day and during the winter (Louisa Twining, Recollections of Life and Work: Being the Autobiography of Louisa Twining, 1893)

It no longer exists