The Royal Military Chapel, commonly known as the Guards' Chapel, is a British Army place of worship that serves as the religious home of the Household Division at the Wellington Barracks in Westminster, Greater London. Completed in 1838 in the style of a Greek temple and re-designed during the 1870s,[2] the first chapel on the site was damaged by German bombing during the Blitz in 1940 and 1941.
| The Guards' Chapel | |
|---|---|
 | |
 | |
| Alternative names | The Royal Military Chapel |
| General information | |
| Type | Chapel |
| Architectural style | Modernist |
| Town or city | Westminster, London |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Completed | 1963 |
Listed Building – Grade II* | |
| Designated | 9 January 1970 Amended 26 April 2012 |
| Part of | Royal Military chapel and cloister, south of Birdcage Walk, Wellington Barracks |
| Reference no. | 1066441[1] |
On Sunday, 18 June 1944, the chapel was hit again, this time by a V-1 flying bomb, during the morning service. The explosion of the bomb collapsed the concrete roof onto the congregation, which left 121 people killed and 141 injured (both military and civilian).
Using the memorials from the old chapel as foundations,[2] a new chapel was built in a Modernist style in 1963. In 1970 the building was made a Grade II* listed building.[1]
The Order of the Garter banner of Field marshal Harold Alexander, 1st Earl Alexander of Tunis was transferred from St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle, to the Guards' Chapel following his death in 1969.[3]
Memorial garden
editThe Flanders Fields Memorial Garden, dedicated to the memory of Guardsmen lost in the First World War, was opened by Queen Elizabeth II in 2014 and occupies land next to the chapel.[4]
Music
editIn the 1970s an organ was installed by the firm of Hill, Norman and Beard using material from an instrument at Glyndebourne as well as new pipework.[5] In addition to leading congregational singing, the organ accompanies the Chapel’s professional choir and works alongside military bands/ensembles. With the passing of time, it was decided that the organ was struggling to meet the demands placed on it, and in the 21st century the chapel commissioned a new organ from Harrison and Harrison.[6]
On the last Tuesday of each month, except in August, the chapel hosts a free 45-minute lunchtime concert featuring a wide variety of music.
References
edit- ^ a b Historic England, "Guards Chapel (1066441)", National Heritage List for England, retrieved 4 January 2018
- ^ a b Bromley & Bromley 2015, p. 585.
- ^ "Garter Banner Locations" (PDF). St. George's Chapel Windsor. Retrieved 1 November 2021.
- ^ "The Queen leads remembrance events in London". BBC News Online. 6 November 2014. Retrieved 6 November 2014.
- ^ "Guards Chapel". National Pipe Organ Register. Retrieved 13 November 2024.
- ^ "A cathedral quality pipe organ". Guards Magazine.
- Bibliography
- Bromley, Janet; Bromley, David (2015). Wellington's Men Remembered Volume 2: A Register of Memorials to Soldiers who Fought in the Peninsular War and at Waterloo- Volume II: M to Z. Pen and Sword. ISBN 978-1-4738-5768-1.
External links
edit
Media related to Guards Chapel at Wikimedia Commons- Official website
- Guards Chapel bombed by V1 on Sunday, 18 June 1944 – with photos
