Old Palace Croydon: Chapel

This private archbishops' chapel forms part of the archiepiscopal palace complex, built in phases between the late 14th and 17th centuries, with restoration by Sir Banister Fletcher after 1905 when the building became part of a school.

The chapel is constructed in red and brown brick of varying dates (principally from the mid-15th century to the 1660s), with timber framing and stone quoins and dressings from distinct building phases.

Plan and Layout

The chapel forms the northernmost range of the surviving historic palace complex. It is built over two levels, with the chapel itself on the upper floor reached by stairs in the north-west range, and an undercroft beneath. At its south end it connects to the west range and the east range of the north court. The western bay of the chapel was added as part of the long western range built in the 1490s. This bay later had a raised pew installed under Archbishop Laud, which required opening the south wall to create a first-floor passage between the two ranges.

Exterior

The west elevation has continuous walling from the 1490s in deep red-brown brick, mostly in English bond, enriched with diaper work in darker vitrified brick that is especially visible at upper levels and in the gable, where it includes crossed keys (of St Peter). The northern wing housing the chapel stair has an eroded moulded stone doorcase and worn memorial tablets above. The chapel has a blocked window opening at undercroft level with a depressed arch set in a deep brick reveal, similar to others in the western range. Above this is a two-light west window with shallow arched heads contained within a larger stone surround with a depressed arched head, and a small blocked light in the gable, treated similarly to the east gable. A deep tile band returns to the north elevation a little below the west window impost level.

The east elevation was extensively repaired in the 1660s and again in the early 20th century in red-brown brick on a shallow moulded stone plinth (with mostly large red brick of this date to the gable and earlier reused brick of lighter colour beneath). A steep brick offset at the northern end narrows to a stack that rises adjacent to the east window. Tile bands run at the base and above return to the north elevation. There is an inserted eight-over-eight pane sash at ground floor level, and a seven-light east chapel window, restored externally in the 1930s. Above this is a shallow pointed head with a tile drip mould. The roof has plain eaves, with tile kneelers and a brick soldier course to the gable.

The north elevation is a mix of coarse red-brown brick and fine red brick, the earliest use of brick at the palace (probably dating to around the later 1450s under Archbishop Bourchier). Earlier sections are in irregular and English bonds, with later patching including sections of the upper floor in Flemish bond from the 1660s. At upper level, the brickwork provided cladding in relatively lightweight panels. A vertical joint at the western end corresponds with the break between the original chapel and the added western bay, which is in darker brick.

As elsewhere at the palace, early work at lower level is in flint and stone rubble. Stepped full-height buttresses are in English bond brick of the 1490s with stone copings, encasing the earlier timber wall posts of around the 1450s which had distorted. At ground-floor level, openings include (from east to west) an inserted six-over-six pane sash beneath a deep tile lintel; a 20th-century casement in an earlier stone surround with a deep tile lintel and brick pointed arch; a repaired pointed arched single light; and an inserted 20th-century entrance beneath remnants of an earlier stone arch with a blocked opening next to it. The three chapel windows are rectangular, of five lights with chamfered pointed arches, set directly beneath the oversailing eaves. The eastern bay is blind to both walls and this was probably the original arrangement since there is a long timber brace visible inside on the north side, from wall post to wall plate, where a window might otherwise be positioned.

The south elevation, forming the north range of the north court, similarly has flint and stone rubble at lower level, with robust stone quoins at the western end (relating to the earliest 14th-century phase), and brick above, with one stepped buttress and a rebuilt brick parapet. At lower level there is a door and window, both set in earlier openings, and above are two five-light chapel windows (as to the north). The vertical break between the earlier and later fabric is clearly visible; the western bay (of the 1490s) is wholly in darker purple-brown brick in English bond and has a contemporary single-light window in a chamfered brick reveal with a brick relieving arch above.

Above the west end of the chapel is a square-based fleche or bellcote (a 20th-century replacement of an earlier structure; the first bellcote illustrated in early views was 17th-century in style, fitting with the original bell dated 1637). This has canted tile-hung sides and a timber superstructure, set under an ogival roof.

Interior

The chapel is of four original bays defined by depressed cambered tie beams with deep roll mouldings and similarly moulded arched braces. The boarded ceiling of the primary bays is divided into rectangular panels by slender moulded ribs, this part of the 1450s construction, as are the cornices. This is consistent with the primary spine beam, which has a felling date of 1419-1444. The additional western bay, trapezoidal on plan, was added in the 1490s as part of Archbishop Morton's work. Marking the end of the original western bay, moulded wall posts are exposed above dado height and rest on the masonry wall below. An arched brace is exposed in the north-eastern bay, suggesting this was always a windowless bay. The tie beams bear the painted arms of Archbishop Juxon (1660-1663), responsible for restoring the chapel after the Commonwealth.

Moulded window architraves and mullions within the chapel partially survive, though have been restored externally. The west window is of four lights of which the outer two are blocked, presumably since the gallery pew was installed, but with the moulded heads and mullions exposed, all set beneath a wide four-centred arch above a splayed reveal. The upper sections of the inner lights are glazed.

The side walls, excluding the sanctuary, have a restored panelled oak dado comprising two tiers of vertical chamfered panels paired beneath a horizontal tier above, that also serves as the back of the lateral stalls. The stalls, arranged either side of the screen doors and lining the side walls in three adjacent sets, have panelled fronts with moulded fillets, ornate carved bench ends with figure head stops, and enriched poppy head desk ends (dating to the 15th century), some of mid-17th-century date bearing the crests of Archbishops Laud and Juxon.

The chapel is divided by a timber screen, heavily restored in the 1930s. The lower section is boarded in vertical panels between chamfered muntins, beneath an open section with richly moulded mullions with a continuous flowing frieze (above and below) that bears Morton's rebus, a tun or barrel, suggesting it was installed during his tenure. Set within the central bay is a pair of similarly detailed doors beneath a fixed panel, with probably early 20th-century door furniture. The screen has a crenelated cornice.

The western raised pew in the form of a gallery was added by Laud and is attributed to his carpenter, Adam Brown. The pew, within Morton's extension, is reached by simple 19th-century stairs with square newels and a 20th-century solid balustrade. It is supported by later bracing. The gallery has a solid balustrade with a central canted section, each section defined by richly moulded tapering pilasters surmounted by urn finials on tall square bases and at the base have Ionic capitals above drop finials. Each section is enriched with a raised moulded panel within which is a plain eared panel, all flanked by low relief strapwork ornament. The underside of the cornice is also enriched with a low relief strapwork trail, while the base of the pew has a dentil course. Above the central canted bay is an enriched crest of Archbishop Laud. The pew has wide oak floorboards set diagonally.

Two internal doorways lead from the chapel to the former private chambers in the west and east ranges. The former has a roll moulded timber doorcase; the latter, with a worn stone cill, has a square-headed moulded timber doorcase with carved spandrel panels. Both are refurbished and have early-20th-century doors.

To the south side of the altar is a two-bay stone niche. Altar rails in a 17th-century manner have a double tier of vase balusters and a flat moulded rail. Matching gates have robust hinges. The altar was installed in 1936. This is in polychrome painted timber with a similar but slightly later reredos, with hinged side panels and a brattished head. Most of the other fittings date from the 20th century and the sanctuary was reordered in 1973, bringing forward the altar.

Stained glass within the chapel all dates from the 20th century, having been installed by the school in a series of phases. The east window made by Clayton and Bell was completed in 1931 and depicts influential female figures within the church, inscribed S Frideswide and S Dorothea to the left and S Agnes and S Hilda to the right, flanking the Virgin and Child and Holy Family. Below are places or events from the Bible with a bearing on the community: Porta Clausa, Hortus Conclusus, Radix Jesse, Turris David. The north and south windows contain fragments of armorial glass and include a depiction of St Augustine of Canterbury in the southern range, installed from 1919 and reinstated after Second World War bomb damage.

The font was a gift to the Sisters from the Church of St George, Southwark. It is heavily weathered and has an octagonal stone base with a probable chevron design on alternate faces supporting an octagonal bowl with a raised square motif on each face. This appears to date to the 16th century. It was moved to its present position from the other side of the screen at some stage after 1989.

Above the ceiling the chapel has a plain kingpost roof that appears to have been reconstructed in around 1660, incorporating reused rafters (felling dates recorded as 1486-1511), and with later restoration in the early 1900s under Sir Banister Fletcher. The visible section has struts to the principal rafters and trenched side purlins with slender straight braces. At the eastern end of the roof space fabric from the former east window has been recorded as surviving (although this is not easily accessible). The western extension bay of the chapel added in the 1490s under Morton has a soffit matching that of the primary bays to the east, but its ceiling joists are a mixture of recycled timber. It appears that the chapel roof was renewed, since the earliest surviving truss above tie beam level (for a side-purlin roof), fragmentary and set against the east gable, resembles others of this phase and the reset rafters are of the same date.

Undercroft

The ground floor or undercroft of the chapel range includes evidence of early fabric. The northern room at the western end has a robust post on a stone pad with a section of wall plate above and sections of similar scantling timber, possibly reused, in the adjacent southern room. The eastern room beneath the chapel has axial and transverse ceiling beams with rough chamfers with a runout stop at the northern end, a plain 18th-century fireplace surround and next to it an alcove with a moulded arched head. The doorway, in a later partition, has a door of broad vertical planks with long strap hinges on its external face and horizontal boards on the internal face. The entrance through to the small southern room (which forms part of the east range of the north court) has an arched stone doorcase with a door of broad vertical planks and is part of the primary phase. Adjacent to this (to the west) is another 15th-century chamfered stone doorway with a slightly depressed pointed arched head, for the passage through the range towards the guard chamber undercroft.

The western bay of the chapel at this level forms part of the range built under Morton in the 1490s. This retains exposed framing original to the construction. Two openings cut into the thick masonry eastern wall of the late-14th-century undercroft structure, to the north and south ends, were added in the 1660s to integrate these ranges. Integral with the rebuilt west end of the chapel is the covered staircase at the northern end. This has opposed doors at this level providing a through route into the churchyard. The space below this connects to the southern room and would have been lit by a window in the east wall, of which only the relieving arch survives.