“Building of Local Interest” says the local planning authority about Douglas House. But what makes this place so interesting?
Douglas House stands on Trumpington Road in Cambridge. It’s currently part of the University of Cambridge’s Department of Psychiatry. But its story stretches back further.
Let’s journey back to 1890. A house named Berrycroft was built. Harry Gleaves Few, a corn merchant, had it built. He later became a Justice of the Peace. He also became Alderman of Cambridgeshire. Berrycroft served as his family home.
After Harry Few died in 1931, the house had no occupant for a while. Then, in 1934, Alethea Mary Newsom, widow of the Master of Selwyn College, moved in.
In 1937, the Congregation of Our Lady, Canonesses of St Augustine, bought the house. These sisters came from a convent in Westgate-on-Sea. They had fled France due to laws against church-run schools.
Berrycroft transformed into Lady Margaret House. The sisters continued their dedication to girls’ education. They welcomed female students preparing for college entrance exams.
At that time, the Catholic Chaplaincy was exclusively for men. The sisters at Lady Margaret House began to care for the spiritual needs of Catholic women at Cambridge University. They cooperated with Father Adrian English.
The Catholic women formed the “Margaret Beaufort Society”. A room in the house became their chapel.
During World War II, London colleges evacuated to Cambridge. Lady Margaret House provided them with accommodation.
In 1954/55, a chapel was built to the south of the house. John-Baptiste Sebastian Comper designed it.
In 1960/61, a 2-story extension added offices, common rooms, and bedrooms for the sisters. Walters & Kerr Bate were the architects. They added a third story in 1965/66. This became a library.
In 1965, the Catholic Chaplaincy became mixed-sex. The “Margaret Beaufort Society” then ceased to exist.
In 1984, the Sisters sold the adjacent house. But they kept the far end of its garden. This became an orchard for Douglas House.
A second accommodation extension was added in 1986/87. Francis Hookham was the architect.
During the 1990s, Douglas House began renting spare rooms to university students. In 2003, the Margaret Beaufort Institute of Theology purchased the site. The Institute took over the main house. The Sisters continued to occupy rooms in the extensions.
In 2019, a refurbishment project converted the 2nd-floor Library into en-suite bedrooms.
Queens’ College purchased the site in 2023. It now serves as student accommodation. The former chapel might become an archive center.
So, next time you pass Douglas House remember its layered past. From family home, to convent, to student accommodation it has been a place of learning, faith, and community. Its walls hold stories of corn merchants, fleeing nuns, and countless students. Each chapter contributes to the unique story of Douglas House.