Description
Nazareth House Convent was formerly Isleworth House, which had been rebuilt in 1832 by Edward Blore for George III's chaplain, Sir William Cooper. The C18th owner of the estate had diverted Richmond Road so that it did not separate the house from the river. The garden led down to the river and the estate had its own burial ground. Purchased by the Sisters of Nazareth in 1892, it became their Convent and later an old people's home, but has been empty since 2002.
Practical Information
| Previously known as | Isleworth House |
|---|---|
| Site location | Richmond Road, Isleworth |
| Postcode | TW7 |
| What3Words | ///twice.period.issues |
| Type of Site | Institutional Grounds |
| Borough | Hounslow |
| Open to Public | No |
| Opening Times | private |
| Public Transport | Rail: St Margaret's, Isleworth then bus. Bus: H37 |
| Research Updated | 1 November 2007 |
| Last Updated | 18 October 2026 |
Full description
The order of Poor Sisters of Nazareth was founded in Hammersmith in the mid-C19th to care for the poor and infirm, and purchased Isleworth House in 1892 where they set up their convent. In 1899 they built the Nazareth House Industrial School for Roman Catholic Girls, which had 120 pupils, with a chapel added in 1902. The industrial school closed in 1922 and was converted into a home for children in need, remaining in this use until 1985. It then became a residential home for the elderly, but in 2002 both the convent and the home for the elderly closed. In 2007 the property was the subject of a planning application by the Sisters of Nazareth for a village for the elderly to be built here.
Pending further research on current situation.
Pending further research on current situation.
Further Information
| Grid Reference | TQ165755 |
|---|---|
| Site Ownership | private |
| Dates | C18th, 1832 |
| Listed Structures | LBII: Isleworth House |
| On National Heritage List for England (NHLE), Parks & Gardens | No |
| Registered common or village green on Commons Registration Act 1965 | No |
| Protected under London Squares Preservation Act 1931 | No |
| Local Authority | Hounslow |
| In Conservation Area | Yes |
| Conservation Area Name | Isleworth Riverside |
| Tree Preservation Order | No |
| Nature Conservation Area | No |
| Green Belt | No |
| Metropolitan Open Land | No |
| Special Policy Area | Yes - Thames Policy Area/Isleworth |
Please note the Inventory and its content are provided for your general information only and are subject to change. It is your responsibility to check the accuracy.
Nearby parks and gardens
Silverhall Park is on part of the former Silver Hall estate. The name appears to have been used for the estate from the mid-C18th after its owner Mrs Oliver, nee Silver. The house was demolished in the early C19th and the estate sold piecemeal. A new house was built in 1813 on a site now occupied by the park. From 1880 - 1908 Silver Hall was occupied by Carmelite nuns who had moved here from Fulham Carmel. It was later a school but by the 1940s the house was derelict and it was demolished in the 1950s. Gates on North Street and the remains of the ice house are all that are left. A section of the C16th Duke of Northumberland's River runs through the park
Gordon House, originally called Seaton House, was built in 1720, added to by Robert Adam in 1758. The grounds are said to have been Venetian in style with ornamental gardens, fountains and classical garden features. In 1856 it became a school for the daughters of naval officers and later a Royal Naval School. Within the grounds is a huge plane tree and an orangery and mound survived from earlier landscaping. By 1949 it was a teacher training college, which in 1976 became part of West London Institute of Higher Education when Borough Road and Maria Grey teacher training colleges and Chiswick Polytechnic merged, with campuses in Isleworth and Twickenham. In 1995 West London Institute was incorporated into Brunel Universiy. In 2005 the campus at Gordon House closed, the remaining staff and students moving to Uxbridge.
There was a church at Isleworth at the time of the Norman Conquest and the medieval church of All Saints was largely rebuilt in 1706/7. The present building retains the C15th tower but was rebuilt in 1967-70 following severe damage by fire in 1943. Isleworth became a fashionable place to live in the C18th and suburban development dates from the arrival of the railways. The churchyard was extended in 1848 but by 1877 was full. In front of the church is a neatly kept garden with a number of tombs, with a more wooded burial ground behind the church.