Royal Chapel of All Saints facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Royal Chapel of All Saints
Denomination	Church of England
Churchmanship	High church
Website	www.stgeorges-windsor.org
History
Dedication	All Saints
Administration
Deanery	Dean of Windsor
Province	None - royal peculiar

The Royal Chapel of All Saints is a special church located in Windsor Great Park, England. People often call it Queen Victoria's Chapel. It is a historic building, meaning it's protected because of its importance. The chapel serves as a local church for people who live and work in Windsor Great Park.

Members of the British royal family often attend services here. For example, Queen Elizabeth II regularly worshipped at the chapel for privacy. A priest from St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle is in charge of the Royal Chapel All Saints.

History of the Royal Chapel

Building the First Chapel

The Royal Chapel of All Saints replaced older chapels. These were used by royal families and their staff at Royal Lodge and Cumberland Lodge. In the 1820s, King George IV often stayed at Royal Lodge. He was busy making changes to Windsor Castle. Because of this, a bigger chapel was needed for his household and staff.

The chapel was built by Jeffry Wyatville. He was the architect working on the King's projects at Windsor Castle. The chapel was first used on Palm Sunday in 1825. Wyatville told the government about the chapel's construction two weeks after it opened. He said it was built "within an old building" and was absolutely necessary.

Early Repairs and Royal Visits

Repairs were made to the chapel in September 1825. More repairs were needed a few months later. This happened after the King tripped when leaving his seat. The government gave £200 for more repairs in December 1825.

When William IV became King, most of Royal Lodge was taken down. However, the chapel remained. It continued to hold services for the park's staff.

Queen Victoria sometimes went to services at the chapel. She wrote about a visit in March 1842. She liked that "Everyone joined in the singing". She also enjoyed walking in the "very pretty" garden of Royal Lodge.

Changes and Royal Connections Over Time

Francis Seymour, 5th Marquess of Hertford gave the chapel a new organ. This happened when he became the Marquess of Hertford. A window was added in 1905 to remember Prince Christian Victor of Schleswig-Holstein. He was the son of Prince Christian and Princess Helena. They lived at Cumberland Lodge.

The Duke and Duchess of York lived at Royal Lodge from 1931. They regularly attended the chapel. They kept visiting even after they became King George VI and Queen Elizabeth. King George VI updated the chapel. He added a new ceiling designed by Edward Maufe. He also replaced the pews and added a cover to the organ.

As Queen Mother, Elizabeth returned to live at Royal Lodge. She visited the chapel regularly until she passed away there in 2002. Her coffin rested before the chapel's altar. It was then taken to London for her funeral. Her daughter, Queen Elizabeth II, also attended the chapel often.

On July 17, 2020, Princess Beatrice married Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi at the chapel. The wedding was a private event. Buckingham Palace confirmed it after the ceremony.

Watercolours of the chapel were painted in the 1830s by Henry Bryan Ziegler. Later, Hugh Casson painted it in 1990.

Chapel Design and Seating

Exterior and Early Interior

The outside of the chapel looks like a "fairly unremarkable" example of Gothic Revival architecture. It has been compared to St John the Baptist Church, Windsor. That church was also designed in a similar style.

An old guidebook described the chapel as "a small structure fitted up with appropriate simplicity". Its main decoration was a window above the altar. This window showed "our Saviour casting out devils". An organ, called "Handel's organ", was put in the chapel before King George IV died.

Seating Arrangements and Expansions

The seating inside the chapel showed the importance of different people. The Royal Pew was to the right of the altar. A pew for royal servants was next to it. Both of these had a separate Royal Entrance. The royal pews faced a pew for the Deputy Surveyor of Woods.

Pews in a side chapel on the left were for other important staff. Workers sat on the ground and first floors. They used the chapel's Common Entrance. More seating was added in the 1840s. This was because more staff worked at Cumberland Lodge. Prince Albert approved these plans. Even more seating was added in the 1850s.

Later Additions and Modern Look

After Queen Victoria's mother, Victoria, Duchess of Kent, died in March 1861, Victoria and Albert ordered a window for the chapel's chancel to remember her. The chancel was made larger at the same time. This work was designed by Samuel Sanders Teulon and Anthony Salvin. Teulon's changes added 46 seats. The new chapel was officially opened by the Bishop of Oxford, Samuel Wilberforce, in November 1863.

By 1865, the chapel needed even more seating. However, Charles Gore, a Commissioner of Woods, was worried about hiring Teulon again. He felt Teulon's new chancel style did not match the old chapel building. Gore feared that a mistake in such a visible building would be an "Eye-Sore".

So, Salvin was chosen to design a new South Aisle. This was finished in 1866. Queen Victoria thought the new chapel was "very pretty". The new chapel could hold 225 people. It has changed very little since then.