Chapel At Runwell Hospital

Chapel at Runwell Hospital

This hospital chapel was erected in 1937 to the design of the prominent architectural practice Elcock and Sutcliffe. It is constructed of white brick with heavy ashlar masonry and is roofed with orange pantiles on a mansard structure. The building is cruciform in plan with an apse at the east end. A projecting vestry stands to the north and a side chapel to the south, both flanking the chancel. A circular stair tower rises to the north of the apse.

The west front features double entrances leading into a lobby with side rooms. The south front presents three window openings to the nave, each with small-paned metal frames set within heavy ashlar surrounds, aprons and white stone sills. The window heads pierce the eaves, and above each opening in the upper tier of the mansard roof sits a shallow semi-circular dormer. To the east of the nave windows is a doorway into the east end of the nave with a timber door. Further east stands the gable of the side chapel with a single window. Behind the chancel, above it, rises a squat square tower with a pyramidal roof and louvred opening.

The interior is austere in character, defined by round arches throughout. The nave and chancel are separated by a chancel arch. A barrel vaulted ceiling spans the nave, which has a parquet floor. The chancel is raised two steps above the nave and contains the altar, which is itself raised a further two steps. The altar, riddle posts, choir stalls, organ and lectern are all contemporary with the building and constructed of varnished timber. The pulpit, raised on an octagonal stone plinth, the choir stalls and organ are decorated with a jazz modern fluted frieze. Wall lights in the nave take the form of roman oil lamps.

The chapel was designed as part of a major hospital development. East Ham and Southend-on-Sea local authorities formed a joint committee in 1928 to erect a new mental hospital, and the Runwell site was chosen in 1931. The site was compulsorily purchased in 1933 and Elcock and Sutcliffe were appointed from a short list provided by the Royal Institute of British Architects. Elcock visited mental hospitals in the United States, on the Continent and in Britain to study the latest developments in planning. The practice was among the most prominent of their era in hospital design, and Elcock was particularly known for promoting 'veranda wards' in the 1930s, where sunlight and air were essential requirements.

The chapel's plan form, with separate entrances, a lobby and side rooms for epileptics, follows the guidelines of the Commissioners in Lunacy current at the time. The architecture demonstrates thoughtful design of high quality, with unusual use of natural light sources directed onto the altar and into the nave. The building survives almost intact with original fixtures including the altar, riddle posts, choir stalls, organ, pulpit and lectern. It represents an example of inter-war chapel design in an eclectic Mediterranean style, characterised by round arches and plain, smooth internal surfaces.