Chapel Of Our Lady Of The Crag

The Chapel of Our Lady of the Crag is a chapel dating from the early 15th century, with alterations made in the late 17th and early 18th centuries. It is likely the work of John Mason or Lovell and is uniquely carved out of the cliff face. The chapel features a board door set within a rock-cut round arch. To the left of the door is a window that contains Perpendicular panel tracery, which has been altered to include a mullion and transom. To the right of the door, there is a relief figure of a knight, likely created between 1695 and 1739.

The interior, which was not inspected during the resurvey but has been previously recorded, measures 12 feet long, 8 feet broad, and 7 feet high. The rock has been carved to create a piscina, pillars with floriate capitals, vaulting with bosses, and an altar with a canopied niche. The chapel was probably established as an oratory next to a large quarry used for the construction and repairs of the nearby castle. By the late 16th century, it was referred to as the Chapel of Our Lady of the Quarry.

Interest in the chapel grew during the late 17th to early 18th centuries, making it a popular destination for visitors and pilgrims. There was some confusion between this chapel and the cave occupied by the 12th-century hermit, Saint Robert, from the 16th to the 19th centuries, and this confusion persists today.