TheMonastery of The Holy Spirit, known locally asKirk Edge Convent is aCarmelitemonastery fornuns. It is situated on Kirk Edge Road between the villages ofWorrall andHigh Bradfield within the boundaries of the City ofSheffield, England. It is one of 18 carmels in theUnited Kingdom.[1] The building stands just within thePeak District at a height of 340 metres (1115 feet) and has extensive views of the surrounding area.
The building was constructed in 1871 and was planned to be used as anorphanage. Father Myers ofSt Vincent's in Sheffield was the main driving force behind the plan, wanting to set up training opportunities for orphanCatholic boys as already existed for orphan girls at Howard Hill atWalkley.Henry Fitzalan-Howard, 15th Duke of Norfolk provided 18 acres of land at Kirk Edge and gave finance for the buildings which were to cover 300 square feet. The architect wasHadfield & Son and the building was modelled on theMotherhouse of theSisters of Charity at 140Rue du Bac inParis. The project was described in the April 1871 edition ofThe Builder as:“A new institution for poor boys and girls of the Roman Catholic religion of the town and neighbourhood of Sheffield at Kirk Edge, near Bradfield, which has been prepared by Messrs Hadfield & Son, have been adopted by the committee and work is to be forthwith commenced. The whole pile when completed will give accommodation for 300 children. The building will be of stone and, including the courts, will cover an area of 300 square feet”. The orphanage was opened before the end of 1871 with the orphans under the care of the residentSisters of Charity.[2]
By 1876, the building was listed in theCatholic Directory as anIndustrial school for girls, still under the care of the Sisters of Charity. In 1885, a new wing was opened consisting of a chapel in theRenaissance style measuring 90 feet long by 26 feet wide, a dormitory and infirmary. The architects were again Hadfield and Son and the builders were Messrs Tomlinson ofLeeds and Sheffield. The new wing opened on 29 June 1885, being built in stone at right angles to the rest of the building and heated by low pressure water pipes. The total cost of the project was £1,500, a considerable amount, the money being raised by a visit to the city by CardinalHenry Edward Manning who preached a sermon of appeal atSt Marie’s to raise the money. The visit of Manning to Sheffield was the first by aCardinal since theReformation.
The Cardinal’s successful appeal for the new wing only staved off closure for two years, in 1887 it was announced that the orphanage was to close with water supply problems being cited as the reason. All water used by the building had to be pumped bywindmill from the lower levels of the valley. Upon closure the orphans were transferred back to the home at Howard Hill. The building lay empty for some time before being used as a holiday centre for poor boys from Sheffield by a Catholic society. Around 1900 the premises were used as areformatory for a time by theHome Office.[3]
In 1910 it was suggested by theDuke of Norfolk’s sister who was a Carmelite nun at the Most Holy Trinity monastery inNotting Hill, that Kirk Edge should be turned into a Carmelite monastery for nuns. The Duke of Norfolk presented the land to the Carmelites and about twelve sisters came from theMost Holy Trinity Monastery, inLondon'sNotting Hill where the facilities were overcrowded. £10,000 was spent on extending and fitting out the premises, with the work again being done by the architects Hadfields. A public chapel seating 150, new parlours and rooms for three lay sisters were built as well a 12 foot high stone wall which enclosed the grounds. On 16 July 1911 the monastery was opened and inaugurated by CardinalFrancis Bourne and BishopJoseph Cowgill.[4]
During theFirst World War Miss Phyllis Browne, daughter of the Rector ofBradfield Church and local teacher at High Bradfield School entered the monastery after the death of her fiancé on the Western Front causing a local scandal. Browne did however later leave the convent and married, finally passing away inBridlington in the 1970's.
Today there are 11 Carmelite nuns at The Monastery of The Holy Spirit. On Monday 5 October 2009, the monastery hosted the relics of SaintThérèse of Lisieux for three hours as part of a nationwide tour of the U.K. At the time, Sister Mary of the Resurrection, aged 83 and prioress of the monastery, stated, "We were surprised but very privileged to be chosen, we thought the relics would go to the cathedral in Sheffield. It's a big event for us and a joy.”[5][6]In October 2024 the monastery appears to have closed and the building was for sale for around £3 million.[7]
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