What did Bishop David Cashman and Cardinal John Heenan slate plaque do at St. Joseph’s cottages?

The Story

# St. Joseph's Cottages, Cadogan Street Standing before St. Joseph's cottages on Cadogan Street, you're witnessing the culmination of Bishop David Cashman's most tangible legacy—a restoration project that transformed Victorian charitable housing into a beacon of mid-twentieth century Catholic renewal. During his tenure as rector of St. Mary's from 1958 to 1965, Cashman recognized that these humble dwellings, originally built by the Knights' generosity over a century earlier, had fallen into disrepair and needed resurrection to serve their original mission of housing the poor. On July 12, 1966, Cardinal John Heenan, the powerful Archbishop of Westminster, arrived to solemnly bless the reconstructed cottages, an act that elevated what might have been a routine renovation into an official affirmation of the Church's commitment to social welfare in Chelsea. This moment mattered because it represented more than bricks and mortar—it demonstrated how Cashman and Heenan believed the Catholic Church's duty extended beyond the sanctuary into the streets, ensuring that even in fashionable Chelsea, shelter and dignity remained available to those who needed them most.