Campion House was a

Roman catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...

college run by the

Society of Jesus The Society of Jesus (; abbreviation: S.J. or SJ), also known as the Jesuit Order or the Jesuits ( ; ), is a religious order of clerics regular of pontifical right for men in the Catholic Church headquartered in Rome. It was founded in 1540 ...

in the

Archdiocese of Westminster The Archdiocese of Westminster (Latin: ''Dioecesis Vestmonasteriensis'') is a Latin archdiocese of the Catholic Church in England. The diocese consists of most of London north of the River Thames and west of the River Lea, the borough of Speltho ...

. It was situated in

Osterley Osterley ( ) is an affluent district of Isleworth in west London, England, from Charing Cross in the London Borough of Hounslow. Most of its land use is mixed agricultural and aesthetic parkland at Osterley House (National Trust), charity-r ...

on the Thornbury Road, off the A4 road, in the

London Borough of Hounslow The London Borough of Hounslow ( ) is a London borough in west London, England, forming part of Outer London. It is governed by Hounslow London Borough Council. The borough stretches from near Central London in the east (Chiswick) to the b ...

History

Foundation

It was originally a Victorian mansion called Thornbury House. In 1911, it came under the ownership of the

as a retreat house. It supplied weekend retreats in

Ignatian spirituality Ignatian spirituality, similar in most aspects to, but distinct from Jesuit spirituality, is a Catholic Church, Catholic spirituality founded on the experiences of the 16th-century Spanish Saint Ignatius of Loyola, founder of the Jesuit order. The ...

for working men's sodalities and parish groups.The Story of Campion House
from ''Independent Catholic News'', retrieved 21 March 2013 In 1915, Fr Edmund Lester SJ took over as director of the house. After the

First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

he saw a dramatic increase in the number of vocations from veterans of the

, so he changed the name of the house to Campion House College and turned it into a sort of 'pre-seminary', a house of studies, a place to help young men, between 18 and 40 who had a late vocation to learn Latin and to further their education, helping them progress in their training for the priesthood. The college was not just for the Jesuits but also students from all the Catholic dioceses of England and Wales, other religious orders and even from outside of the UK.Campion House Osterley
from ''Catholic Herald Archive'' accessed 21 March 2013 The college provided its own newsletter ''Stella Maris'' which was read by some of the soldiers within the

British Armed Forces The British Armed Forces are the unified military, military forces responsible for the defence of the United Kingdom, its British Overseas Territories, Overseas Territories and the Crown Dependencies. They also promote the UK's wider interests ...

Second World War

In 1935, Fr Clem Tigar SJ replaced Fr Lester as director of the college. Again, after the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, the number of students drastically increased. So the stable and coach-house of the mansion were converted into a dormitory called Bethlehem. As the number of applicants continued to increase, appeals were made for funds to build extra accommodation. Other additions were made such as a statue, immediately to the south of the house, called the 'Ghost' or 'Descent from the Cross'. It is a Grade II listed sculpture, designed by Andrew O'Connor in 1937, and was displayed in the

Tate Gallery, London Tate is an institution that houses, in a network of four art galleries, the United Kingdom's national collection of British art, and international modern and contemporary art. It is not a government institution, but its main sponsor is the UK ...

. On 11 November 1953, it was presented to the college by Fr. Martin Cyril D'Arcy S.J. In the early 1960s, over 160 men were annually being trained. So it was decided to make the college permanent and for it to serve all men who had a late vocation. In 1960, a new appeal was launched by Fr Tigar, to raise £250,000 to build a permanent college containing dormitories, classrooms, common rooms and a library, so it could accommodate 140 residential students during a two-year course in English, Latin, Greek, French and European history. Life at the college in the 1980s was described by Greg Watts in his memoir ''The Long Road Out of Town''.

Closure

However, from the 1970s, student numbers lessened and more space became available. So some of the buildings were used by the

Jesuit Refugee Service The Jesuit Refugee Service (JRS) is an international Catholic organisation with a mission to accompany, serve, and advocate on behalf of refugees and other forcibly displaced persons, that they may heal, learn, and determine their own future. Fou ...

to accommodate

Vietnamese refugees Vietnamese boat people () were refugees who fled Vietnam by boat and ship following the end of the Vietnam War in 1975. This migration and humanitarian crisis was at its highest in the late 1970s and early 1980s, but continued well into the earl ...

. Later, it was used to also house migrants from

Eritrea Eritrea, officially the State of Eritrea, is a country in the Horn of Africa region of East Africa, with its capital and largest city being Asmara. It is bordered by Ethiopia in the Eritrea–Ethiopia border, south, Sudan in the west, and Dj ...

and

Kosovo Kosovo, officially the Republic of Kosovo, is a landlocked country in Southeast Europe with International recognition of Kosovo, partial diplomatic recognition. It is bordered by Albania to the southwest, Montenegro to the west, Serbia to the ...

. as well as Kurds. From 1918, around 1,500 of the men trained at Osterley had gone on to become priests. However, by the turn of the 21st century, students numbers had gone down and the house was used more and more as a retreat centre. So in April 2004, it was announced that it would close. Its closure was marked on 12 May 2004 by a Mass at

Westminster Cathedral Westminster Cathedral, officially the Metropolitan Cathedral of the Most Precious Blood, is the largest Catholic Church in England and Wales, Roman Catholic church in England and Wales. The shrine is dedicated to the Blood of Jesus Ch ...

led by the

Archbishop of Westminster The archbishop of Westminster heads the Roman Catholic Diocese of Westminster, in England. The incumbent is the metropolitan of the Province of Westminster, chief metropolitan of England and Wales and, as a matter of custom, is elected presid ...

Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O'Connor Cormac Murphy-O'Connor (24 August 1932 – 1 September 2017) was a British Catholic prelate who served as Archbishop of Westminster from 2000 to 2009. He was also president of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of England and Wales. He was made ...

, alongside bishops and archbishops from throughout England and Wales.

Later history

After its closure, Campion House was sold to a housing development company. In 2008, plans to convert the site and surrounding area into a housing development were refused by

Hounslow London Borough Council Hounslow London Borough Council, also known as Hounslow Council, is the local authority for the London Borough of Hounslow in Greater London, England. It is a London borough council, one of 32 in London. The council has been under Labour majorit ...

because councillors raised concerns about the buildings encroaching on land classified as

public open space A public open space is defined as an open piece of land both green space or hard space to which there is public access. Public open space is often referred to by urban planners and landscape architects by the acronym 'POS'. Varied interpretations ...

and the lack of family housing provided. Eventually, amended plans were approved for the development of private houses in the grounds of Campion House.

Gallery

Campion House, autumn 2017.jpg, Building front Campion House back and park, Osterley.jpg, Building and park File:Religious Retreat- Canadian Catholics at Campion House, Osterley, Middlesex, England, 1943 D13525.jpg, Canadian servicemen at Campion House in 1943. File:Religious Retreat- Canadian Catholics at Campion House, Osterley, Middlesex, England, 1943 D13512.jpg, The chapel in 1943 File:Religious Retreat- Canadian Catholics at Campion House, Osterley, Middlesex, England, 1943 D13517.jpg, The kitchen in 1943 File:Religious Retreat- Canadian Catholics at Campion House, Osterley, Middlesex, England, 1943 D13526.jpg, Students Study Hall File:Religious Retreat- Canadian Catholics at Campion House, Osterley, Middlesex, England, 1943 D13528.jpg, Lunch on the Campion House lawn File:Religious Retreat- Canadian Catholics at Campion House, Osterley, Middlesex, England, 1943 D13529.jpg, View of the chapel File:Religious Retreat- Canadian Catholics at Campion House, Osterley, Middlesex, England, 1943 D13516.jpg, Rear of the chapel

References

{{English and Welsh Catholic Seminaries Educational institutions disestablished in 2004 Grade II listed monuments and memorials Former theological colleges in England Former Catholic seminaries Isleworth Grade II listed buildings in the London Borough of Hounslow