St Ursula's Home For Girls, Teddington

The Bishop of Kensington opened St Ursula's in 1912, however the Home's Benediction service was not held until 6 October 1913 because the Home needed a degree of alteration before it was suitable to be blessed. As there was no Chapel the service was conducted in the playroom - with everyone squeezed in.

Originally St Ursula's had been opened as an industrial school - this meant that it was specifically for those at risk children who had been identified by the courts. Six years later St Ursula's remit widened, and it started to accept other children. In total the Home could house 30 girls aged 5-16.

Given that many of the girls at St Ursula's had come from difficult backgrounds, the Society felt that the Home really needed somewhere where the children could pray - and have their own little sanctuary. As there was plenty of space for the children to play in other rooms the Society quickly converted the playroom into a chapel. Home life included regular celebrations in the chapel, and there was a time when friends of the Home used it to teach folk dancing and needlework. The Society ensured that the girls' physical well-being was looked after as much as their spriritual health - and they had regular check ups from both the doctor, Dr Lee, and the dentist, Mr Woolford.

After 18 years the home closed in 1930 'on account of local circumstances' according to a 1931 edition of the Society's magazine Our Waifs and Strays.