Priory At The Former Convent Of The Holy Child Jesus

This is a Gothic Revival style presbytery, constructed in 1856 by architect William Wilkinson Wardell, originally to house priests serving the Convent of the Holy Child Jesus. The building is of red brick in Flemish bond with polychrome brick relieving arches and diaper motifs, stone window dressings, a tiled roof, and four brick chimneystacks at the ends. It is an asymmetrical detached house of two storeys with projecting bays to the south-east and north-west.

The south side, formerly the entrance front, now has a blocked entrance. It features a large gable to the left, a smaller gable to the right, and three windows; the central first-floor window is two-light, while the others have been replaced with early 20th-century metal-framed casements within the original stone surrounds. A trefoil mullioned and transomed window is slightly projected on the ground floor, topped with crenellation. A later 19th-century lean-to brick extension is present on the right side, not depicted on the 1873 Ordnance Survey map. The west side has a small gable, an external brick chimneystack and a splayed ground floor bay. The north side displays two projecting chimneystacks, a three-tier staircase window and a lean-to extension to the north-west incorporating a doorcase. The east side features two projecting gables and three mullioned and transomed windows with stone dressings.

Inside, the staircase hall has half-glazed double doors, a wooden arch, dado panelling, doorcases with eared architraves, and a dogleg staircase with chamfered and gabled newel posts, stick balusters, and plank panelling with trefoil cutouts at the upper level. A large drawing room to the west incorporates a Gothic style fireplace and panelled window seats.

The nuns of the Society of the Holy Child Jesus relocated to St Leonards-on-Sea in 1848, initially residing with the convent chaplains in the west end of the convent. “The Priory” was built in 1856 to free up space in the convent for classrooms and dormitories. The building ceased its original function in 1974 when the order relocated the school to Mayfield.

The presbytery represents a substantially intact example of Gothic Revival architecture from a noted Catholic architect and retains good quality internal fittings, contributing significantly to the group value of the listed buildings on the former convent site.