The Chapel of St. Gudwal was a Saxon and later Norman chapel located within the grounds of The Commandery, Worcester that was dedicated to St. Gudwal. Today, only ruins of the foundations exist.
 Surviving ruins of the chapel in 2024 | |
  Location within Worcestershire | |
| Monastery information | |
|---|---|
| Full name | Chapel of St. Gudwal |
| Established | 950s |
| Disestablished | 1540 |
| People | |
| Founder(s) | Dunstan, Bishop of Worcester |
| Site | |
| Location | The Commandery, Worcester |
| Coordinates | 52°11′16″N 2°13′00″W / 52.187903°N 2.216755°W |
| Visible remains | Ruins |
| Public access | Paid access |
History
editThe Chapel of St. Gudwal was built outside of the Worcester city walls by Dunstan, Bishop of Worcester during the 950s.[1][2] The Hospital of St. Wulfstan was then constructed around 1085 around the site of the Chapel of St. Gudwal.[1]
The Hospital of St. Wulfstan and the Chapel of St. Gudwal were purchased by Richard Morysyne in 1539 and were then dissolved by Henry VIII in 1540[3] as one of the last monastic buildings to be dissolved across England;[2] the chapel was stripped of its valuables and was left in ruin.
It is believed that the last remnants of the chapel were demolished during the 18th century by the Wylde family.[2]
Excavations
editThe Commandery was excavated between 2004 and 2006, and the site of the Chapel of St. Gudwal was identified and excavated in 2006 alongside two buried skeletons discovered two years before, including a male who died around the age of fifty.[2]
The site contained several of the foundation stones, which still bear the mason's marks of the craftsmen that made them, and the chapel ruins are currently on public display in situ within The Commandery museum.[2]
References
edit- ^ a b "The Commandery's History". www.museumsworcestershire.org.uk. Retrieved 25 July 2024.
- ^ a b c d e The Commandery Guide Book
- ^ Historic England. "THE COMMANDERY (1390176)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 29 June 2015.