Wolverhampton's Listed Buildings

Calvary Chapel, Regents Court and 
St. John's Cloisters; Hanover House
Corner of St. John's Square and George Street


The former convent seen from George Street, looking towards St. John's Square.  The building furthest left is Hanover House.

Listing: Part of former convent including chapel, now a Pentecostal chapel and offices.  1860.  By E. W. Pugin.  Decorated style.  

Literature:  Pevsner, p.316: House of Mercy (R.C.), St. John's Square.  A Georgian corner house but in George Street an ashlared Gothic brick range and behind an added aisless chapel with a polygonal apse.  Both by E. E. Pugin, 1860.  p.318:  George Street ... has late C18 brick terraces with nice doorways on both sides.  The N corner to St. John's Square (House of Mercy) is a little more ambitious.  The doorway with columns is in the square.

Comment: 

This is an interesting building or group of buildings but I am bothered if I can work out this complex site and what is what.  I am left uncertain as to whether Pevsner is saying that Pugin built the Georgian Hanover House or not.  And what does he mean when he says the doorway is in the square?  What doorway? 

The photograph on the left shows the north east corner of St. John's Square, looking north. The entrance in the centre leads to the cloisters.  Behind is the chapel - which is on the first floor. On the right you can just see part of King's House.
From the courtyard off George Street (which is to the left of this photo) looking west. 

The chapel windows can be seen on the first floor left.  In the centre, sub-ground floor, there is the entrance to the Cloisters.

It was in this courtyard car park that the convent once had its school buildings.

The Cloisters.  These clearly were (and still are) an access passageway. They do not overlook an ancient garth.		 Vanessa Evans, who was at Our Lady of Mercy school writes:

"The school was actually linked to the convent, which belonged to the Sisters of Mercy. In 1978 the school part of the building was demolished but the convent was left. That part of the building is still there but is now used for offices. The existing chapel still remains though. The actual school linked up with St Chad's boys college in Fallings Park. It was renamed Our Lady and St Chad's. I spent my final year there.

The Sisters of Mercy re-located to a convent in Penn. I managed to track down my former headmistress, Sister Dominic. She told me that it was opened by the Sisters of Mercy in 1849 as a
private school. It was re-organised as a direct grant school in 1925 and later became Voluntary Aided.

When I was a pupil at the school there were rumours of a haunting. These rooms were closed off to the pupils and I am not sure how true the story is".

The interior of the chapel. A view from an old poastcard.
Another view from an old postcard. The caption on the card says this is the Kindergarten Room. But someone has written in pencil on the back:  "This was the kindergarten when this was taken, but since they have had boarders it is the Refectory. V.G."