Hi Dashers. I've pulled together a summary of the history about the two colleges. It is confusing, but hopefully this explains. Viv.
OLD OSCOTT/ St Mary's Institute/Maryvale Institute located down Old Oscott Hill:
- the Old Oscott site has been in Catholic occupation since the Middle Ages.
- originally it was 'Oscott House'
- it came to the Church in 1702 at the bequest of Father Andrew Bromwich who had inherited this property from his family. The house was bequeathed to pay for a priest in the area. It became the first seminary to open in England after the Reformation
- the house was re-built in 1752 as St Mary's Institute
- in 1794 it became a college for boys and ecclesiastics
- by 1837 the college and school had outgrown the Old Oscott site
- Old Oscott College at this point became a prep school, retaining its close links with the new college
- it has the historic Chapel of the Sacred Heart
- it was the home of John Henry Newman (later Cardinal) for a few years after becoming a Cathiolic in 1845, who named it 'Maryvale'. His rooms were next to the Chapel
- it's now home to an Order of Nuns originating in Sweden
NEW OSCOTT/ once also known as St Mary's College - located near Chester Road:
- built 1838
- this new college was built at New Oscott (so named to distinguish it from Old Oscott. The Old Oscott College having become too small)
- it was near to the Chester Rd/College junction, built on the site of Holdford Farm
- the new college was built on top of a hill, surrounded by trees and on open heathland
- the members, on removal from their old home at Old Oscott, settled into the new college with a 7 hour ceremony of consecration
- despite having outgrown Old Oscott, not too long after the transfer to this new college, it received a lot of donated artifacts, which quickly filled the space
- today they train members of the laity for their mission in the church, and hold seminars and lectures, etc. They also do a lot of educational work with teachers and advisers for R.C. Schools