250th Anniversary of the Hidden Chapel

We were honoured by the company of Mary Ward family members from all over the world this April, as we celebrated the 250th anniversary of our hidden chapel. Built originally in 1769, at a time when keeping the Catholic faith was still illegal in England, the chapel’s characteristic dome is hidden from view of the […]

The Archives Get A Major Makeover

Over the summer the archive and library rooms were closed as major repair work and renovations took place. This work has now finished and we are pleased to be able to update you on the progress. The archive and library rooms had not been decorated for more than thirty years. Walls were cracked and peeling, […]

The Secret Shoe…

When builders began tearing apart the roof on parts of the Bar Convent a few months ago, to carry out much-needed remedial work, they found something that surprised and puzzled them.

Learning their craft…

The Bar Convent regularly hosts students at various stages of their education, from school pupils on work experience to those working towards a PhD. Matthew Roland and Joanna Meredith, MA students on the Cultural Heritage Management programme at University of York, recently did a 2 week work placement in the Archives.

A Valentine Tale…

On Valentine’s Day, here’s a tale to warm your heart. A story of love under pressure, with the Bar Convent playing a key role.

On a Mission

The Community at the Bar Convent, the CJ, has a tradition of working outside the walls of institutions and within communities that stretches back to the 17th Century. Recently, Sister Theo Hawksley spent several months in Guyana in South America, working with local people. Here she explains a little about her role and asks for […]

Mary Ward In The Archives

It’s Mary Ward Week at The Bar Convent – with her birthday on the 23rd and the anniversary of her death on the 30th. But just who was she and what connection does she have to the convent? Our second post for the Week focuses on our Special Collections here in York, particularly the library […]

The Most Significant Woman You’ve Never Heard Of…

It’s Mary Ward Week at The Bar Convent – with her birthday on the 23rd and the anniversary of her death on the 30th. But just who was she and what connection does she have to the convent?

#lovearchives

The Bar Convent has been taking part in Explore Your Archive launch week, a national campaign that illuminates the best of archive services in the UK and Ireland. Participants share items from their collections on social media that relate to different themes, with the aim of showcasing the huge range of material available in archives […]

Remember, remember…

The BBC TV drama Gunpowder has stirred up a lot of interest in – and a fair bit of controversy around – the true story of the 1605 plot to blow up the Protestant King James I during the State Opening of Parliament. It got off to a gory start, with depictions of a woman […]