The Old Palace (The Convent Of The Holy Child Jesus, St Leonard'S Mayfield School)

The Old Palace, also known as The Convent of the Holy Child Jesus at St Leonard's Mayfield School, is a Grade I listed building that features the remains of a medieval palace once belonging to the Archbishops of Canterbury. It was converted into a school by Edward Welby Pugin between 1863 and 1866. The structure includes some 13th-century work, but the main part is a 14th-century hall, which now serves as the school chapel. The building is constructed of stone and has a tiled roof. It features three tall pointed windows, each with two tiers of trefoil-headed lights and triangular decorations above, flanked by buttresses. There is a vaulted entrance on the south-west side, alongside a 14th-century tower and a 15th-century well-house. Pugin's additions from 1863 to 1866 include a two-storey section with an attic, five windows, and three gabled dormers, all made of stone with a tiled roof. The windows are casement style with stone mullions and transoms, and there is a two-storeyed gabled porch at the north end. Further to the north-east, there are additional structures built in red brick by Peter Paul Pugin in 1896.