The tale of how a formidable nun thwarted the authorities

If you’re stuck on the upper deck of a bus at the eastbound traffic lights on the busy Hammersmith Road in west London, and you glance over the wall on your left, you may catch a glimpse of the peaceful cloister gardens of Sacred Heart High School. End-on to the road, with a large, stone-traceried window, is the school’s Grade II*-listed chapel, designed by J.F. Bentley, who was also responsible for the design of Westminster Cathedral. Over the past few years, a programme of enhancement of the school’s premises and treasured artefacts has included landscaping of the gardens and the restoration of an outdoor crucifix donated by old girls a century ago, as well a statue of Jesus at the centre of the cloister garden which came from the Society of the Sacred Heart’s convent in Lille, France.

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