New Ground: Britain’s First All-Female Co-Housing Community Marks a Decade of Shared Living

New Ground, a former convent school in High Barnet, North London, was converted into 25 self-contained apartments with shared facilities, forming Britain’s first all-female co-housing community.

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In 1998, women’s-studies lecturer Maria Brenton visited co-housing projects in North America, Denmark and the Netherlands, inspiring a group of 26 women to pursue a similar model in the UK. After a twelve-year search, the former St Martha’s convent school was purchased and renovated by Pollard Thomas Edwards.

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Founders include Maria Brenton (now 80), resident Hedi Argent, and Jude Tisdall (74). Funding and logistics were secured through Housing For Women and Hanover Housing Association, while Pollard Thomas Edwards provided architectural design.

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The community contains 25 apartments, eight of which are reserved for social-housing tenants. Of the original 26 women, 21 remain residents. Tenants represent nine nationalities and include workers, retirees, widows, divorcees, single women and one lesbian couple. Monthly rent starts at $450.

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New Ground offers an alternative to conventional elder-care, enabling women to age with autonomy, share responsibilities, and maintain social connections. The model challenges ageist and paternalistic practices in social-care services and demonstrates a scalable approach to inclusive housing for older women.

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Residents stress that the community is not a privileged enclave but a collective response to inadequate elder-care, emphasizing that men may visit but cannot sign leases. Housing For Women and Hanover Housing Association cite the project’s success in delivering affordable, mixed-tenure housing for older women.

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Living with 25 women can generate disagreements, health issues, and the need for formal conflict-resolution training. Critics note the lease restriction excludes men from residency, questioning whether the model can be replicated at larger scale.

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Sources do not state the exact opening year; the description of the project beginning “ten years ago” differs slightly from the reference to “a decade now,” leaving a minor chronological inconsistency.

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• “The women who started this didn’t want it to be seen as a place of privilege just for women who could afford to belong to this kind of community,” — Jude Tisdall, resident

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• “We have brothers, fathers, sons, grandsons, lovers and everything in between,” — Jude Tisdall, resident

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• “The women who started this were adamant that they didn’t want to sit in a day-room singing ‘Daisy Daisy’ and ‘Pack Up Your Troubles’ for the rest of their lives,” — Maria Brenton, co-founder

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• “We are making history, and we are extremely proud,” — Shirley, resident

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The founders aim to replicate the New Ground model in other UK cities, encouraging policymakers and housing providers to consider women-only co-housing as a viable option for dignified aging.

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