Sanatorium Chapel

The Sanatorium Chapel, built in 1903, is a timber-framed building designed by A. Randall Wells. It originally served as a chapel within a sanatorium. The design incorporates a simple plan with an aisleless nave and chancel, with the western bay later partitioned to form a vestry and entrance lobby. The chapel is characterised by its pantiled roof and weatherboarded timber frame. The chancel retains its original leaded rectangular windows, with two windows on each side, the easternmost widely spaced to flank the altar. The nave has three windows on the north and south walls, now featuring modern three-light casements with transoms, but set in the original openings. A similar two-light window is present in the north wall of the vestry. An original entrance door is situated in the south wall, while alterations were made to the west wall. The roof has a pronounced bell-cast eaves and a raised central section creating a full-length ventilator; the sides of this ventilator are now weatherboarded, replacing original louvres. Inside, the chancel preserves its painted wall panelling and a pamment floor laid in a checkerboard pattern of red and black glazed tiles. The nave features a herringbone-patterned wood-block floor which indicates the original partition layout at the west end. A modern hardboard ceiling obscures the roof structure, which consists of a complex arrangement of closely-set scissor trusses, rafters rising to a ridge-beam, and scissor braces supporting the ventilator side-walls. The entire roof structure and sarking were originally painted and remain so. Original drawings for the chapel, signed by Randall Wells, are held at the Norwich Record Office. The chapel exemplifies the innovative aspects of the Arts and Crafts Movement, which is prevalent in Norfolk, alongside works by E S Prior, Detmar Blow, Edward Maufe, and Randall Wells. Later alterations do not significantly diminish the quality of the original design.