Chapel in the Wood, Strawberry Hill explained

Chapel in the Wood
Building Type:Chapel
Architectural Style:early Gothic Revival
Location:Strawberry Hill, London, England, UK
Completion Date:1774
Floor Count:1
Embedded:
Embed:yes
Designation1:Grade I
Designation1 Offname:Chapel in the Wood, Strawberery Hill
Designation1 Date:25 May 1983
Designation1 Number:1253028

The Chapel in the Wood is a chapel in the grounds of St Mary's University on Waldegrave Road in the Strawberry Hill part of Twickenham, London. The chapel is an example of early Gothic Revival architecture and is a Grade I listed building.

The chapel was built for Horace Walpole in 1772–74 and was in the grounds of his home, Strawberry Hill House. Subsequent building separated the chapel from the house, as the nearest parts of those grounds have been built on with what is now St Mary's University.[1]

The roof is of slate and the front is of Portland stone,[2] with a design inspired by a tomb in Salisbury Cathedral.[1] Sir Nikolaus Pevsner described the blue and gold vaulted ceiling as "pretty".

Restoration and rededication

The chapel was restored in 1954 and rededicated to the Virgin Mary with a new statue from Italy and some new stained glass.[3]

References

51.4364°N -0.3364°W

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Strawberry Hill: The Original Fake . Young . Francis . 24 September 2016.
  2. Web site: Horace Walpole's Taste for the Gothic: Strawberry Hill . Eastlake . Charles . Charles Eastlake . The Victorian Web . 23 September 2016.
  3. News: The Chapel in the Wood . https://web.archive.org/web/20131103083106/http://archive.catholicherald.co.uk/article/18th-june-1954/7/the-chapel-in-the-wood-i . dead . 3 November 2013 . . 18 June 1954.