| St Joseph's College | |
| Pushpin Map: | East Sussex |
| Pushpin Mapsize: | 250 |
| Map Caption: | Location in East Sussex |
| Coordinates: | 51.0547°N 0.2487°W |
| Osgraw: | TQ5769730775 |
| Location: | Rotherfield |
| Country: | UK |
| Denomination: | Roman Catholic |
| Former Name: | St. Michael's Orphanage for Girls |
| Founder: | Dowager Duchess of Leeds, Louisa Catherine Caton |
| Dedication: | Saint Joseph |
| Functional Status: | Closed |
| Heritage Designation: | Grade II Listed |
| Designated Date: | 1 February 1991 |
| Architect: | George Goldie, E. W. Pugin and Joseph Hansom |
| Closed Date: | 1970 |
St Joseph's College was a Roman Catholic minor seminary in Mark Cross, outside Rotherfield in East Sussex. It was designed by Edward Pugin and the site dates to 1869. It is a Grade II listed building.[1] It has been named by the Victorian Society as a heritage building at risk of disrepair.[2]
It was originally known as St. Michael's Orphanage for Girls and was built in 1869. The exterior was designed by George Goldie and the interior was designed by E. W. Pugin.[1] It was paid for by a donation from the Duchess of Leeds, wife of Francis D'Arcy-Osborne, 7th Duke of Leeds. The site itself consisted of 54 acres of land and it was run by the Society of the Holy Child Jesus as part of a pair of orphanages, the other one being Mayfield College.[1] In 1903, it was extended to allow for more accommodation in the convent, the extension was designed by Joseph Hansom.[1]
In 1925, it was bought by the Archdiocese of Southwark to serve as a minor seminary for St John's Seminary in Wonersh.[3] In 1960, the building was extended to allow for six extra classrooms.[4]
In 1970, it was closed and was bought by a group and it became the Legat's School of Ballet, founded by Nadine Nicolaeva-Legat.[5]
See main article: article and Jameah Islameah School. In 1992, it was bought by a charity called Jameah Islameah. In 2006, it was raided by Metropolitan Police who believed it was being used as a training camp for terrorists.[6] In 2007, it was closed by the Department for Education and Skills for failing standards. It did not have any pupils at the time.[7]