Sackville College

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Sackville College from the High street

Sackville College is a Jacobean almshouse in town of East Grinstead, Sussex, England. It was founded in 1609 with money left by Robert Sackville, Earl of Dorset. Throughout its history it has provided sheltered accommodation for the elderly. The College is run as a charity, operating under an Act of Parliament from 1624 and a Royal Charter from 1631. The College continues to receive patronage from William Herbrand Sackville, 11th Earl De La Warr.

The building is located at the end of the High Street close to the church of St. Swithun's. It is built of local sandstone. The main building was completed in 1619, and remains exceptionally well preserved. The original lock is still used on the Chapel door and much furniture from the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries is preserved inside. It is a Grade I listed building. The building surrounds a courtyard which contains a well. The internal walls have large mullioned windows. The Great Hall features the original hammer-beam roof. Inside, the residences for the elderly have been modernized.

The College is run by a warden, who lives in part of the building that was originally used by the Sackville family on visits to their Sussex estates. The warden's office has not changed substantially since it was used by the Revd. Dr. John Mason Neale, who was warden from 1846 until his death in 1866. The Revd. Dr. Neale was a hymn writer notable as the author of Good King Wenceslas. The warden's office is a good example of a Victorian study.

As the College remains in use much of it is not open to the public; however, the Chapel, Hall, and warden's office are open Wednesday to Sunday during the summer.