St Joseph’s Orphanage

St Joseph’s Orphanage was established in 1872 on Mount Street, Preston, funded by local benefactor Maria Holland and designed in a Gothic style by architect R.W. Hughes. It was run by the Sisters of Charity of Our Lady Mother of Mercy and provided care for around 60 Roman Catholic girls. In 1877, the adjoining St Joseph’s Institute for the Sick Poor (later known as Mount Street Hospital) was added, serving the local community with around 25 patient beds.

The site expanded over the decades, adding an operating theatre and chapel in 1910 and further hospital wings in 1933 and 1958. It served as a military hospital during both World Wars and operated a well-used maternity unit. The orphanage closed in 1954, and the entire site then functioned solely as a hospital, with the top floor housing the nuns.

The hospital closed in 1982 when the Sisters ended their nursing roles. It reopened briefly as a care home in 1988 but closed permanently in 2003. The site fell into disrepair over the following two decades, suffering vandalism, fire damage, and neglect. It was listed as "at risk" by the Victorian Society in 2009.

In recent years, plans have been approved to redevelop the site into residential housing, with efforts made to preserve key historic features, including the chapel and clock tower. Despite fires in 2022 and 2023, restoration work began in 2025, aiming to give this iconic Preston landmark a new lease on life.