Seven Sisters, One Mission: The Beginning of St Teresa’s Home

In 1925, seven Sisters Hospitallers left Madrid for London, beginning a journey that would give rise to a century of Hospitality at Roland Gardens

In July 1925, seven Sisters Hospitallers left Madrid for London. They were embarking on a new mission in a country whose language and customs were unfamiliar to them, with the hope of establishing a Home for people in need of care.

Their destination was 46 Roland Gardens, a Victorian house in South Kensington. A century later, that address remains at the heart of St Teresa’s Home.

A new beginning in London
The founding Sisters arrived in London on 19 July 1925 and took possession of the house on 5 August.

Although they had spent months studying English before their journey, communicating in their new surroundings proved difficult. Their diary records the experience with characteristic honesty:

“We were not deaf, but we could neither hear nor understand.”
The challenge awaiting them at Roland Gardens was considerable. The property had been unoccupied for some time and needed extensive work before it could welcome residents.

Inside, however, the Sisters discovered furniture, paintings, linen, silverware, crockery and fabrics that could be given a new purpose.

Faced with everything that needed to be done, they wrote:

“Where do we begin?”
Their answer was equally simple:

“But we did not lose heart.”
Turning a house into a Home
Over the following months, the Sisters cleaned, prepared rooms and gradually transformed the property.

They purchased five beds, together with mattresses, blankets and other essentials. Space was limited, and one room served as an oratory, refectory and recreation room. Their first altar was a fireplace.

On 30 June 1926, the house and chapel were blessed. The first Mass was celebrated on 3 July, and on 14 August, St Teresa’s welcomed its first resident.

The Sisters could finally begin what they described in their diary as their:

“Hospitaller Mission in this great Capital!”
A legacy that continues
The first admission marked the beginning of a story that would become part of hundreds of family lives.

Over the following century, St Teresa’s would welcome successive generations of residents, expand into neighbouring buildings and adapt to changing needs and approaches to care.

The Home of today is very different from the house the Sisters entered in 1925. Yet the commitment that brought them to London remains recognisable in its daily life: welcoming each person with dignity, compassion and Hospitality.

As St Teresa’s celebrates its centenary, we remember the seven founding Sisters whose faith, determination and dedication made this beginning possible.

One hundred years later, their mission continues.