The Chapel

The "new" Chapel, dedicated to St Michael and All Angels, was erected on the site of the old.  It was built by Stephens & Barstow at a cost of £31,000 under the direction of the distinguished architects, George Bodley and Thomas Garner and was consecrated on 29th September, 1886 by the Bishop of Salisbury. 

Art and Architecture
The Historical Perspective

Art and Architecture

The chapel, measuring 154 feet long, 54 feet wide and 60 feet high, is fashioned in the Late Decorated Gothic style.

Amongst its noteworthy architectural features are the apsidal form of the East end and the strikingly large reredos in the Anglo-Catholic style, which was gilded much later, in 1951, by Sir Ninian Comper at the same time as he painted the inside of the apse.

Bodley & Garner's colour scheme of greens and browns, much loved by John Betjeman, dominates the Chapel interior, together with a series of 12 large murals by the late Pre-Raphaelite Spencer Stanhope. These depict Biblical scenes involving angels, six on the north side from the Old Testament and a like number on the south from the New.

Other artistic features of note are the Scholars' Window on the south side (a green window featuring the boys Samuel and Timothy which was designed by Burne-Jones and made under the direction of William Morris) and Eric Gill`s sculpture of “The Virgin and Child” above the outside of the West Door.

The Historical Perspective:

Considering that the College was founded in 1843 with the prime purpose of educating the sons of Clergy, it is of no surprise that the construction of a Chapel was an early priority. 

The first Chapel, designed by Edward Blore (1787-1879), was opened in 1848 to accommodate 500 boys. It was, however, a rather plain building and by 1880 the College community had, in any case, grown to over 600.

An initial scheme of enlargement by lengthening the walls and raising their height had to be abandoned when it was discovered that Blore's foundations were insufficiently strong to bear the extra weight and the decision was taken to salvage everything possible before Blore's Chapel was completely demolished in 1884.