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......St. Mary's..College........


Picture from 1937

.

Picture from 1937

St Mary's College

St Mary's College was situated in Brook Green and for many years was used as offices and at one time contained the company's food laboratory or Bio-chemical Department, as it was originally known. Lyons acquired St Mary's Training College (RC Seminary) in March 1925 when the Seminary moved to Strawberry Hill, Twickenham. The college was founded in 1850 and built between 1845 - 1853. At the same time a number of other properties were acquired adjacent to the College including properties in Brook Green Place, which was totally absorbed into the factory and formed the archway entrance to and from Cadby Hall yard. As a consequence Brook Green Place disappeared from the maps. Several other properties were acquired at this time in Brook Green including a passageway between Brook Green Place and the College. This total acquisition not only provided additional office space (the College itself) but land on which large factory buildings were erected. A mortgage of £190,000 was raised to fund the purchase which at that time was colossal. When Elms House opened in 1937 the clerical staff then occupying St Mary's College were moved to the new building. However, office space was still a problem and St Mary's College continued to be used by a number of different departments for example: the Planning Office and Catering Payroll Office.

In 1975 that part of St Mary's College that was offices and which had been incorporated into the north-west corner of Cadby Hall, was demolished as part of the Cadby Hall re-development scheme. In fact it was the first building to be demolished as part of the redevelopment of Cadby Hall, which went on for several years. Part of the college, also owned by Lyons, continued as a school (St Mary's Junior Boys' School) until a new school was built on property adjacent, owned by the Council and used as a training centre.

 

 © Peter Bird 2005

 


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