Chapel Of Exe Vale Hospital

Chapel of Exe Vale Hospital

Chapel, disused at the time of survey in 1986. Built in 1875–76 by architect Joseph Neale. Constructed of snecked red brecchia with Bathstone dressings and steeply pitched slate roofs. The building is designed in the French Gothic style.

The chapel has a cruciform plan with secondary smaller transepts flanking the chancel. The south transept contains the organ chamber, while the north transept serves as the vestry. At the west end, small gabled blocks to the north and south are connected to the nave by covered slate-roofed walkways leading to opposed north and south doorways at the west end of the nave. This unusual arrangement of opposed doorways may be a special planning feature designed to serve the lunatic asylum. The function of the small west end blocks is unclear, though the north block contains a stack and may have served as a boiler house.

A tall gabled bell turret rises at the crossing. The chancel features a steep gable, coped diagonal buttresses, and a triple trefoil-headed east lancet window with a hoodmould and carved label stops. Two lancet windows light the north and south sides of the chancel. The south chancel transept (organ chamber) has two lancets to each face. The north chancel transept (vestry) has a shouldered doorway with nook shafts on the east wall and a stone chimney shaft at the apex of the gable. The principal transepts have angle buttresses and paired lancets to north and south sides below roundels with hoodmoulds and carved label stops. The south transept has a door in the east wall. The nave contains three lancets to each side with buttresses, a large west door, and two lancet windows below a traceried roundel with hoodmould. The small north and south blocks are gabled to west and east with lancet windows; the west windows are paired lancets below roundels.

The interior contains good carved detail in the French style and a complete set of original fittings from 1875–76. The moulded chancel arch is carried on paired shafts on corbels. Moulded transeptal arches—both main and subsidiary—spring from paired shafts with carved capitals and bases. The nave and chancel have good arched brace roofs, boarded behind, with struts above the collar and braces springing from timber corbels. A three-bay stone reredos occupies the chancel; the central bay is gabled, the outer bays trefoil-headed with diaper carving. A fine sequence of floor tiles lines the chancel, accompanied by a coeval altar rail. The chancel screen consists of a freestone ashlar base with five bays of open timber tracery above. A six-sided pulpit features trefoil-headed panels with diaper carving divided by marble shafts. Contemporary bench ends have canted corners decorated with simple roundels.

At the time of survey in 1986, all windows except the east window were boarded up, but all the glass remained intact and of high quality. The east window is by Drake of Exeter. Some glass is designed by Messrs. Horwood Bros. of Frome; others by Drake. The west windows depict the healing of the sick.

A brass plaque to Joseph Neale, the architect, who died in 1877, is mounted on the west wall. The chapel was opened in 1875 at a cost of £2,600. It represents a fine example of a complete chapel of its date with high quality fittings and notable carving. The unusual plan adds considerably to the architectural interest of the building.