Talk by Carol Brindley
Newbury Branch meeting at West Berkshire Museum 11 November 2024
The Cope Hall Colony was a project designed to rescue “fallen women” – some prostitutes, some petty criminals – from the prospect of prison, and offer them instead a non-punitive community in which they could readjust socially and learn useful skills.
It was the brainshild of Dr Helen Wilson, a physician and social campaigner, who canvassed support and sufficient funds to buy Cope Hall, a semi-derelict mansion on the western edge of Newbury, in which to accommodate her scheme. Christianity was the moral basis for the scheme, but it was designed for flexibility: residency was not of fixed duration, and everyone had a say in how the community was run.
The first residents arrived in 1917. They were taught domestic skills and gardening, and offered recreation. Although the scheme enjoyed some success this was limited, with many tensions arising. Problems became insurmountable with the resignation of the warden in 1919, coupled with financial difficulties and social change with the end of WWI. The community dissolved, but its short life was influential in later social policy. Dr Wilson moved on to other projects.
