ETON COLLEGE CHAPEL

Buckinghamshire

The Chapel of Eton College is an interesting structure, it dates largely to the 1400s, but was never completed due to the Wars of the Roses and the deposition of Henry VI. It was to have been almost twice its current length.

The reason for this was that Eton was a pilgrimage centre at this time. Henry VI began to work on the Chapel and the interior fixtures were even fitted but then he was removed from power and the Chapel remained half-finished.

The vaulting inside was an unfortunate victim of deathwatch beetle and it had to be entirely removed and replaced in the 1950s. The interior walls were painted with colourful pictures when the Chapel was first founded. During the reformation they were considered idolatorous and so they were painted over only to emerge once again in 1923 when they were finally cleaned and preserved.

Although originally built as a pilgrimage centre, once Eton College was founded they took over the Chapel as their place of worship and it remains that today, being one of the focal buildings of the Windsor/Eton Royal area.

Photo - Andrew J. Müller

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2018