St James' Chapel is a 13th-century chapel located near the village of Lindsey, Suffolk, England. Built in 1250 of flint, brick and stone, the small church served as the chantry chapel for nearby Lindsey castle. The chapel was in use until 1545 when it was dissolved as a "free chapel". After dissolution, the King granted the property to Thomas Turner, who converted the building into a barn. St James' chapel is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade I listed building and scheduled monument.
In 1250 AD, St James' Chapel was founded as a chantry chapel for the Castle of Lindsey, near Lindsey, Suffolk, England. The medieval church was constructed with brick, stone and flint. It measures 8.8m (28.9feet) x 4.87m (15.98feet), and is also in height, from floor to roof line. The 13th century structure was also includes reused stones from an earlier era.[1] Lancet windows and a stone arched doorway survivie in the original south wall. On the north wall, two original windows have been bricked in and plastered over. A third original window was converted to a doorway. A three-light window remains in the east wall. The west wall contains a bricked up window and a brick doorway.[2] The church also contains a late 13th-century piscina (shallow basin) with trefoil arch.[3] [4]
The chapel, dedicated to St James the Apostle, originated as a chantry chapel for the nearby Lindsay Castle, which today has no surviving structural remains.[5] The chapel remained in use as a parish church after the castle was abandoned at the end of the 13th century. The church was repaired in the late 15th or early 16th centuries. The repairs included the lowering of the roof and the installation of roof timbers. The chapel was possibly shortened in length during this time. St James' continued as a chapel until 1545 when it was dissolved as a "free chapel". In 1545, Thomas Turner was granted the chapel by the king, which he later into a barn. It is believed that the tie-beam roof covered with thatch was added during the barn conversion, replacing the original tile roof.