Mayfield College is a defunct Roman Catholic boys' boarding school founded as the Holy Trinity Orphanage For Boys in 1865–1866 by the American-born Dowager Duchess of Leeds, Louisa Catherine Caton, one mile from Mayfield, East Sussex. The main building and attached chapel were built in the Gothic style, primarily of red brick and are Grade II listed, having been designed by E. W. Pugin. After closure in 1999 both the main building and chapel were converted into luxury apartments now called collectively Mayfield Grange. Officially opening in 1868 it was also known as the Xaverian Brothers School, St Xavier's College and Xaverian College at various times. Mayfield College was built as one of a pair of orphanages at the Duchess's expense, the other originally known as St. Michael's Orphanage for Girls in Bletchingley (Mark Cross), East Sussex, also designed by Pugin.
From 1936 to 1959 Mayfield College had an associated preparatory boarding school known as the School of St. Edward the Confessor at Foxhunt Manor in Waldron, East Sussex where the religious order of Xaverian Brothers also taught boys from 8–12 years of age. On closing the prep school became a convent known as Monastery of the Visitation.
History
Located on Little Trodgers Lane, on a 400 ft. hill midway between the valley of the River Rother and the village of Mark Cross, ground was broken for the original orphanage in 1864. The area was originally known as De Hellingly, comprising Colkins and Pennybridge Farms. It cost £20,000 to build and took four years to complete. Many of the Canterbury red clay bricks were dug from the 109-acre plot at sites which later became a rifle range to the south-east and a pond to the south. They were fired in situ and transported 200 yards to the building area. Most of the external masonry was made from local sandstone also quarried nearby. The main wall was built 3 ft 3ins in thickness (approx. 1 meter) and the internal masonry was in Caen stone. The passages, original play rooms and offices were in finished brickwork. The basement is vaulted and the floor of the first story laid with Mintons patent tiles. Above the ground floor the walls are recessed and arched, the piers of which are further relieved by corbelled brickwork. A gothic-style chapel accommodating 150 was added to the east and to the north a playground was laid. On the far north side of the playground a series of buildings were added at right angles, intended for a laundry, bake-house and workshops. The contractor was a Mr Wilson of Canterbury.
In front of the school to the south lay extensive fields, meadows and woods. In the early years the school was self-sufficient with its own chicken run, most of the fields were cultivated or used for grazing and on the opposite hill was Pennybridge Farm, owned by the school and managed by the Brothers who employed labourers to run it. Milk and orchard produce were of sufficient quantity for the school to be a major trading partner with Mayfield Village and its Convent. Later cultivation ceased in the field immediately in front of the school where football (later cricket and rugby) pitches were laid out. A cultivated plot with lawns and a cemetery to one side were also installed. Until 1913, Pugin's vision stood untouched as a distinguished edifice visible from many miles around, faithful to his plans, but owing to faulty foundations the building had to be underpinned at this time. The tower's spire, a large chimney block and other heavy adornments were removed and its external beauty was sacrificed for practical safety.
It was almost a century before the spire was replaced and the building's majesty restored.
On 19 May 1868, less than a dozen Xaverian brothers arrived with the first 30 orphan boys from the original orphanage in St. Leonard's-on-Sea where they had been wounded by stoning and suffered continual verbal abuse. The funds left by the Duchess were found to be inadequate for even such a small number of boys so in 1883 permission was obtained from the Charity Commissioners for the acceptance of regular fee-paying boarders. The school prospered rapidly and soon 100 boys were on the roll. In 1884, it was decided to admit boys who desired to be Brothers, collected together from various Xaverian schools, to give them special religious training at Mayfield but this project was deemed largely unsuccessful and promptly discontinued. Every year a small number of fatherless boys were admitted to the school with fees paid out of the Duchess's remaining funds.