St Raphael's House, Torquay

[AngelaR]

Just to let people know -

I had a reply from the Devon Record Office. The (very helpful) archivist said that the convalescent home was run by the sisters of the Community of St John (the) Baptist, Clewer (an Anglican order), not the Sisters of Mercy ( a Catholic order corrected - there are both Anglican and Catholic orders of that name!) as I had thought. The confusion is probably because the main establishment at Clewer was a 'House of Mercy' for fallen women.

The records of the order are now held at Berkshire Record Office, but there are only accounts and annual reports for St Raphaels - no admission/patient records 

The archivist also pointed me to an article in the Illustrated London News for January 18th 1902, in which St Raphaels was referred to as a 'Consumption Sanitorium' so it obviously took TB patients. The index to the article is on the website  http://www.iln.org.uk/iln_years/year/1902.htm I wonder if anyone has access to a copy of that edition of the ILN 

Angela

[lodger-nz]

Angela, my Caroline Jones was in St Raphael's in 1881 with your Ann Virgin. She's shown with relationship to head = "Servt" and occupation = "Servant". So it seems she worked there.  I noticed that most of the inmates in 1881 were aged 17 to 30-odd, so there may be a hint of unmarried mum involved, as you suggested earlier.

Cheers, Roger

[cheshiremog]

I have checked out St Raphaels on the Times Digital archive by searching on 'Raphael & Torquay' and  on 'Consumption Torquay'. A number of obituaries come up right through to the last 1940s.  An obituary in 1890 says 'at St Raphaels Home Torquay, SISTER ANNETTE, community of St John the Baptist, Clewer, youngest daughter of the late Patrick James D'Arcy Esq'.  Another obit in 1876 mentions the home again - death of a Mariella Allen daughter of the late Rev JT Allen of Stradbroke Suffolk.  ...... So the order mentioned by another poster seems to agree and it certainly looks like a hospital of some kind.  The home is also mentioned several times as beneficiary of several bequests from wills. In 1859 a Dr Radclyffe Hall of the consumption hospital in Torquay recommends a castor oil remedy.  Hope this just goes to confirm what you have found out already.

[cheshiremog]

Does anyone know where St Raphaels may have been and if it still there ?
Does anyone know where it would be on the map below ?

[cheshiremog]

Here it is a little bigger - map is dated about 1907 - a number of hospitals are mentioned.

[cheshiremog]

Eeks ! I've just found it !  Just above Meadfoot Beach ! It is marked on the map ! You probably all knew it was there anyway !   

[lodger-nz]

Thank you cheshiremog. Every little helps!
Cheers, Roger

[cheshiremog]

I now live in Nottinghamshire but grew up in Torquay so am very interested in its history.  I wonder if anyone knows if St Raphaels is still there ? 
There is a marvellous family history/refrence library at Torquay library and also Torquay Museum hold records too.  I wonder if they could provide more information.  It looks like St Raphaels was in the Lincombes area of Torquay - lots of Victorian mansions there as well as in the Warberries.  I remember several big mansions being demolished in the 60s and as children we used to go up and play in the grounds.  The other building called Kilmore was knocked down and my father worked on the new flats they built in its place - also called Kilmore.  They are quite noticeable from the coast as they have sort of oriental looking decorative tops.

[cheshiremog]

For all who may still be interested - a postcard recently acquired on the Hall within St Raphaels - I am guessing maybe taken 1920s 1930s - perhaps Terry Leaman would know if his ancestors worked there ?