St James' Chapel, Lindsey facts for kids

St James' Chapel is a very old building in Lindsey, Suffolk, England. It was built around 1250, more than 750 years ago! This small church was made from flint, brick, and stone. It was first used as a special private chapel for a nearby castle, called Lindsey Castle.

The chapel was used until 1545. At that time, it was no longer needed as a church. The King then gave the building to a man named Thomas Turner. He changed the chapel into a barn for farming. Today, St James' Chapel is a very important historical site. It is protected as a Grade I listed building and a scheduled monument. This means it's a special place that must be preserved.

What is St James' Chapel Like?

St James' Chapel was built in 1250 AD. It was a private chapel for Lindsey Castle. The chapel is made of brick, stone, and flint. It is about 8.8 m (29 ft) long and 4.87 m (16.0 ft) wide. The roof is about 3.3 metres (11 ft) high from the floor.

Some of the stones used to build it were even older! The chapel has tall, narrow windows called lancet windows. It also has a stone arched doorway. These are still on the original south wall. On the north wall, two windows were filled in with bricks. A third window was changed into a doorway. There is a window with three sections on the east wall. The west wall has a bricked-up window and a brick doorway. Inside, you can see a special stone basin from the late 1200s. It is called a piscina and was used for washing holy items.

A Look at Its History

This chapel was named after St James the Apostle. It started as a private chapel for Lindsey Castle. The castle itself is gone today. After the castle was no longer used, the chapel continued as a local church. This was around the end of the 1200s.

The church was fixed up in the late 1400s or early 1500s. During these repairs, the roof was made lower. New wooden beams were put in for the roof. The chapel might have also been made shorter at this time. St James' continued to be a chapel until 1545. Then, it was officially stopped from being a church.

In 1545, King Henry VIII gave the chapel to Thomas Turner. Thomas Turner then turned the building into a barn. It is thought that a new roof, covered with thatch, was added when it became a barn. This new roof replaced the old tiled roof.

Images for kids

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  St James' Chapel, north side

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  Exterior wall, St James

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  St James interior

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  St James roof

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  Lancet windows, St James