Duxford Chapel facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Duxford Chapel |
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| Type | Chapel |
| Location | Whittlesford |
| OS grid reference | TL 48501 47275 |
| Area | Cambridgeshire |
| Built | 14th century |
| Owner | English Heritage |
| Official name: Chapel of the Hospital of St John at Whittlesford Bridge | |
| Designated | 26 October 1934 |
| Reference no. | 1011721 |
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Listed Building – Grade II*
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| Official name: Chapel of Hospital of St John the Baptist | |
| Designated | 22 November 1967 |
| Reference no. | 1128091 |
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Duxford Chapel is a very old chapel located in Cambridgeshire, England. It was once part of a larger building called the Hospital of St. John. This hospital was started by a person named William de Colville way back in the 1200s.
Even though it's called Duxford Chapel, it's actually found between two villages: Duxford and Whittlesford. It's also very close to the Whittlesford Parkway railway station.
A Glimpse into History
The chapel you see today was mostly built in the 1300s. It's the only part of the old hospital that still stands. Today, it's recognized as a special historic building. It has a "Grade II*" listing and is also a "scheduled ancient monument". This means it's protected because it's so important.
The chapel is a small, rectangular building. Most of it was built around the year 1337. The walls are made from flint rubble, which is a mix of small stones. The doorways and windows are made from a smoother stone called limestone. Some parts of the chapel, like a small section of the southern wall, are even older. They are from the 1200s, when the hospital first existed.
What Does the Chapel Look Like Inside?
The chapel is a single-storey building, meaning it only has one floor. The main door is on the north side, towards the western end. There are two other similar doors on the south side. One is directly across from the main entrance. The other, called a "priest's door," is closer to the eastern end.
The north wall has four windows. These windows were built between 1330 and 1360. Each window has a single opening with a special design called "trefoil tracery." This means the top part of the window looks like a three-leaf clover.
The four windows on the southern side are from the same time and have a similar design. However, these windows used to have two openings separated by a stone bar called a "mullion."
Near the altar (the eastern end) in the southern wall, you can see two interesting features. One is a piscina, which is a stone basin used for washing sacred vessels. The other is a sedilia, which are special seats for the priests.
On the north side, facing the sedilia, there's a small niche. People believe this was where the Easter Sepulchre was located. An Easter Sepulchre was a special place used during Easter celebrations to represent Jesus's tomb. In the eastern wall, there's also a simple aumbry. An aumbry is a small cupboard in a church wall, often used to store sacred items.
From Chapel to Barn and Back Again
In 1548, during the time of King Edward VI, many religious buildings like Duxford Chapel were closed down. This was part of a big change in England called the "dissolution of chantries." After 1554, the chapel was no longer used for religious services. Instead, it was used as a barn by the people who owned the Red Lion Inn next door! Imagine a chapel being used to store hay or animals!
Much later, between 1947 and 1954, the chapel was bought and fixed up by the Ministry of Works. Today, it is looked after by English Heritage, a charity that cares for many historic places in England. They make sure the chapel is preserved for everyone to visit and learn from.
