A FORMER convent in Oxford, home to the All Saints Sisters of the Poor since the 1800s, is being offered for sale by Knight Frank with a market value of £12 million.
The Society of All Saints Sisters of the Poor (ASSP) was founded in 1851 and has had a presence in Oxford since 1879, when the sisters were invited to run St John’s, a hospital on the 3.1-acre site near the city centre, now for sale. The hospital, now St John’s Care Home, continues to operate under independent management.
The convent building was designated as their Mother House in 1976. In 1982, the Sisters founded Helen House on the site, a hospice for children, followed by Douglas House, for young adults, which opened in 2004. Earlier this year, Helen and Douglas House acquired from ASSP the freehold of the land they stand on, securing their independence.
In 1986, the Porch drop-in centre for homeless and vulnerably housed people, moved from a site within the convent grounds to a house across the road and operates independently.
Today, the religious community consists of just five sisters in life vows, one of whom is undertaking ordained ministry in London.
A newsletter on the ASSP website in March 2024 said: “The Sisters, after consultation with the Trustees, have now reluctantly taken the decision to vacate the site during 2024. Their intention is to move back to London where the Community was originally founded and where they can continue their ministry, without the burden of managing such a large property-based estate.
“They do so in the knowledge that they leave behind in East Oxford an important legacy comprising thriving and relevant institutions which will continue to support the local community long after they have moved away.”
One of the sisters has since moved into St Mary’s Convent and Nursing Home at Chiswick, and another to a sheltered flat in Ledbury. An update in May this year said: “We have had joyful moments amidst the packing, welcoming new Companions of the community.”
Knight Frank states that the 38-bedroom, Grade II-listed St John’s Home generates £55,000 annually through a lease with Accurocare Ltd that is due to run until 2037. Among the other buildings in the sale are the Grade-II listed Friary building, which houses an Edwardian Ninian Comper chapel, reception rooms, library spaces, and period bedrooms across three floors. Also on site is the New Guest House — a contemporary two-storey building with six en-suite bedrooms, plus various ancillary buildings including workshop spaces and a timber-clad oval chapel.
The property is being offered for sale as a whole or in separate lots.
Sam Van de Velde, an associate in Knight Frank’s education and charities team, said: “Properties of this calibre and central Oxford location emerge perhaps once in a generation. Location remains paramount in Oxford’s constrained property market, combined with growing demand for heritage conversions, we expect that this site will be highly sought after.”