Bar Convent Museum

The Bar Convent Living Heritage Centre, at Micklegate Bar, York, England, established in 1686, is the oldest surviving Catholic convent in the British Isles. The laws of England at this time prohibited the foundation of Catholic convents and as a result of this, the convent was both established and operated in secret.

While pretending to be widows, the foundation opened the first school for girls in the country in Hammersmith, London, in 1679 and the second here at the Bar Convent.

Today, the Bar Convent is a popular York destination for tourists and offers bed and breakfast accommodation, meeting rooms, a gift shop, café and museum exhibition about the Convent's history.