The Chapel of St Peter and St Paul

The Chapel of St Peter and St Paul was the last major element in the Hospital’s construction and was completed to Thomas Ripley’s design in 1752. It had a plainer interior than the present one (like the Painted Hall before it was painted) and was typical of English Baroque in relying for its effect on space and proportion rather than embellishment. There was a flat, coffered ceiling, an apse at the east end and galleries – though less ornate than the present ones.

In 1779 this chapel was gutted in a disastrous fire, thought to have been started by smoking in an adjacent tailor’s workshop. It was redesigned and rebuilt under the Surveyorship of James ‘Athenian’ Stuart, in the ‘Greek revival’ style for which he was famous, though the detailing was done by his Clerk of Works, William Newton, and it reopened in 1789.

Unlike many churches which are a mixture of styles through the ages, the Chapel is a complete and unaltered neoclassical period piece. When it was fully restored in the 1950s, various later wall tablets were relocated to the vestry and it is now almost as it was when opened on 20 September 1789.

The chapel is open to the public every day and remains an active place of prayer and worship, with a friendly and growing congregation, and all are welcome to join us for our services.

The regular Sunday service is at 11am: a Sung Eucharist, usually the Book of Common Prayer, with a fine choir. Thanks to the excellent acoustics it is also often used for concerts and choral events.

Guide Sheets
To view the guide sheets that are available in the Chapel, download these files;

Chapel Guide Sheet (618 KB)
Large Print Chapel Guide Sheet (72 KB).