Chapel immediately east of Barnard Castle School is a Grade II* listed building in the County Durham local planning authority area, England. First listed on 22 February 1973. A Modern Chapel.

Chapel immediately east of Barnard Castle School

WRENN ID
seventh-footing-nettle
Grade
II*
Local Planning Authority
County Durham
Country
England
Date first listed
22 February 1973
Type
Chapel
Period
Modern
Source
Historic England listing

Description

A school chapel built in 1910–11 by the architect W.D. Caröe, with a porch added around 1970. The building is constructed of snecked stone with ashlar plinth and dressings, and is roofed with small Cotswold slates.

The chapel is planned with a six-bay nave and sanctuary, a shallow central ritual-north organ console bay, a north-west porch, and a west organ loft. The architectural style combines Free Perpendicular with Arts-and-Crafts influences. (Ritual east is geographical north.)

All windows feature wide two-centred arches with elliptical tracery to transoms and cusped tracery to heads, except in the outer lights which have cusped tracery below and dagger motifs above. The bays are defined by coped buttresses with offsets, while the angles are marked by full-height stepped buttresses with ogee gablets. The east window is particularly prominent, with a deep head to a wide pointed arch springing from angle buttresses, containing 2:3:2 lights separated by wide mullions rising above buttresses which stand free above sill level. Above this is a two-light louvred vent with a raised segmental moulded head. The console bay has a gable parapet over a single light in a recessed panel with a stepped head.

A low panelled and studded door at the east end of the north elevation features decorative wrought-iron band hinges. Double boarded south-west doors have elaborate wrought-iron hinges set in a segmental arch. The later porch has side buttresses flanking a many-chamfered segmental head beneath a low gable.

The west front has canted corners defined by angle buttresses. An undercroft door sits in the south-west angle with a shouldered head. The west window contains 1:3:1 lights, the central light positioned above a high blind panel and recessed behind a free-standing battlemented arch springing from angle buttresses. Paired chamfered rectangular lights in the high undercroft pierce the wall. The roof features stone gutter spouts from a high parapet with roll-moulded coping and gable coping, crowned by an east stone cross finial. Low walls flank the steps to the porch and have chamfered stone coping. Pierced stone drain cover slabs are set in the ground below the eaves spouts.

The interior is finished in plaster with ashlar dressings and an undercroft vault, covered by a waggon roof. The west bay contains the organ loft and entrance. Bays are defined by pointed arched ribs with continuous wide, slightly hollowed chamfers and large broach stops; the arches stand free from the walls with ties at eaves level. A stone reredos with bold billet moulding contains a painting titled "Christ the Consoler" from 1848 by Scheffer, presented to the chapel in 1928 by W.A.H. Hutton. The nave walls feature high wood panelling with blind tracery and a battlemented frieze, below which stone parapets screen heating pipes at eaves level. The fourth bay to the north has a console gallery with a stone parapet on a stone tierceron vault; a corresponding south choir gallery to the opposite side has shorter ribs supporting its parapet.

Furnishings include a carved wood Perpendicular style altar, a fluted stone piscina with aumbry, a wood entrance screen, and a terracotta and Welsh slate floor installed around 1989. A Baroque painted organ case by Father Willis was rebuilt and installed in 1927.

The stained glass includes a 1920 war memorial east window, possibly by H. Wilkinson, showing Christ in Glory above a Crucifixion. A 1913 Richardson Memorial window by H. Wilkinson with W.D. Caröe depicts a religious scene. A choir window gives thanks for the safe return of many from the Great War. The porch windows represent John Baliol (d. circa 1269), founder of the Hospital of St. John, Barnard Castle, and Benjamin Flounders (1769–1846); both men were trustees whose successors built the school. Much unsigned glass of high quality is also present throughout the chapel.

Detailed Attributes

Structured analysis including materials, construction techniques, architect attribution, and related listed building consent applications. Sign in or create a free account to view.

Matched applications, energy data and sale records are assembled automatically and may contain errors. Flag incorrect data.