2019

SY9675 : Interior of St Aldhelm's Chapel

taken 5 years ago, near to Worth Matravers, Dorset, England

Interior of St Aldhelm's Chapel
Interior of St Aldhelm's Chapel
St Aldhelm's Chapel is a Norman chapel on St Aldhelm's Head near Worth Matravers, Dorset. It is a Grade I listed building.
The square stone chapel stands within a low circular earthwork, which may be the remains of a pre-Conquest Christian enclosure. The building has several architectural features which are unusual for a chapel; the square shape, the orientation of the corners of the building towards the cardinal points, and the division and restriction of the interior space by a large central column. The lack of evidence for an altar or a piscina suggests that the building may not have been built as a chapel. It may have originally been built as a watchtower for Corfe Castle, covering the sea approaches to the south.
The interior of the chapel is approximately 25 feet square. In the centre is a square pier supporting four square rib vaults, with the heavy ribs leading to transverse arches, all stop-chamfered. In the north-west side is a Norman round-arched doorway. A small window is contemporary with the doorway.
During the late 19th and early 20th centuries regular weekly services were held, attended by coastguards and their families who lived in nearby cottages.

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Creative Commons Licence [Some Rights Reserved]   © Copyright Phil Champion and licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons Licence.
Geographical Context: Historic sites and artefacts Religious sites Place: Isle of Purbeck Worth Matravers St Albans Head St Aldhelms Head County: Dorset Primary Subject: Chapel Interior other tags: St Aldhelms Chapel Vaulting Purbeck Chapel Font Click a tag, to view other nearby images.
This photo is linked from: Automatic Clusters: · St Aldhelm's Chapel [45] · Interior of St Aldhelm's Chapel [4] Title Clusters: · Interior of St Aldhelm's Chapel [2] ·
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SY9675, 138 images   (more nearby 🔍)
Photographer
Phil Champion   (more nearby)
Date Taken
Thursday, 5 September, 2019   (more nearby)
Submitted
Saturday, 4 January, 2020
Subject Location
OSGB36: geotagged! SY 9606 7555 [10m precision]
WGS84: 50:34.7805N 2:3.4204W
Camera Location
OSGB36: geotagged! SY 9607 7556
View Direction
Southwest (about 225 degrees)
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Image Type (about): inside 
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