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| Mayfield School | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Address | |
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The Old Palace ,, TN20 6PH England | |
| Coordinates | 51°01′17″N0°15′42″E / 51.0215°N 0.2617°E /51.0215; 0.2617 |
| Information | |
| Type | PrivateCatholic day and boarding school |
| Motto | Actions Not Words |
| Established | 1872 |
| Founder | MotherCornelia ConnellySHCJ (1809–1870) |
| Department for Education URN | 114627Tables |
| Chairman of the Governors | The Lady Davies of Stamford |
| Headmistress | Deborah Bligh |
| Gender | Girls |
| Age | 11 to 18 |
| Enrolment | 400 |
| Houses | 4 |
| Colour(s) | Light Blue, Navy Blue |
| Former pupils | Old Cornelians |
| Website | www |
Mayfield School, previouslySt Leonards-Mayfield School, is an independentCatholic boarding and day school for girls aged 11 to 18. It is in the village ofMayfield in East Sussex. The school was founded by MotherCornelia Connelly, S.H.C.J., in 1872, with the oldest buildings dating from the 14th century.
Mayfield School has its origins in the Convent of the Holy Child Jesus school atSt Leonards-on-Sea.[1] MotherCornelia Connelly of theSociety of the Holy Child Jesus chanced upon the Old Palace at the village ofMayfield. At that time Louisa Caton, the Duchess of Leeds (widow ofFrancis D'Arcy-Osborne, 7th Duke of Leeds) had requested Mother Connelly to take her in as a nun. Despite her efforts Mother Connelly remained unimpressed. The Duchess then turned her attention to setting up orphanages. She purchased the Mayfield estate which included the Old Palace and presented it to the Society.[2] On the morning of 18 November 1863 Mass was celebrated at Mayfield for the first time since the mid-16th century. The school moved from St. Leonard's to Torquay early inWorld War II to avoid German bombing, only to relocate months later toHedsor House after being bombed in Torquay.[3] The original school at St Leonards and the new school at Mayfield merged in 1953 to form the current school. The junior school was closed in 1975 and St Leonards-Mayfield thus became solely a senior school. In March 2015 the school changed its name to Mayfield School, but it retains its links with the SHCJ. The teachers are mostly lay staff but the nuns still maintain a presence as members of the Board of Governors and pastoral care staff.[4]
The Old Palace was originally a holiday residence of theArchbishops of Canterbury during the 14th and 15th centuries. During theReformation, it was handed over to KingHenry VIII who gave it to several leading noblemen of his day.Thomas Gresham lived there andQueen Elizabeth I was among his guests at the Old Palace. It was bought by the Baker family, a prominent family in theiron foundry industry. As the iron industry began to decline, so did the family's fortunes. The Old Palace became derelict and abandoned by the mid 18th century. It has since been designated aGrade I listed building.[5]
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The school has a fourteenth century chapel built for the Archbishops of Canterbury and a concert hall designed by SirGiles Gilbert Scott. The sports facilities include an all-weather pitch, eight all-weather tennis and netball courts, an indoor swimming pool and a riding arena. The school has music rooms, ceramics and arts studios and a dance hall. There is also a science block.
TheSociety of the Holy Child Jesus still runs a network of schools across its three provinces: Europe, Africa and America.
Mayfield has links with other Holy Child Schools. In 2010 children from the Cornelia Connelly School inAnaheim, California visited Mayfield and the headmistress visited Holy Child College inIkoyi, Nigeria.
 | This article's list of alumnimay not follow Wikipedia'sverifiability policy. Pleaseimprove this article by removing names that do not have independentreliable sources showing they merit inclusion in this article AND are alumni, or by incorporating the relevant publications into the body of the article through appropriatecitations.(June 2024) |
