![Ilford-hospital-chapel-font-north-exterior](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/37/Ilford-hospital-chapel-font-north-exterior.jpg)
The Hospital Chapel of St Mary the Virgin and St Thomas of Canterbury, Ilford, also known as Ilford Hospital Chapel is on Ilford Hill in
Ilford. It is an ancient charitable foundation dating from about 1140, and is the oldest building in the
London Borough of Redbridge
The London Borough of Redbridge is a London borough established in 1965.
The borough shares boundaries with the Epping Forest District and the ceremonial county of Essex to the north, with the London Borough of Waltham Forest to the west, the ...
. Since 1954 it has been protected as a Grade II*
listed building
In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Irel ...
under UK legislation.
History
The hospital was built on the south side of
Ilford Hill on land owned by the
Benedictine
, image = Medalla San Benito.PNG
, caption = Design on the obverse side of the Saint Benedict Medal
, abbreviation = OSB
, formation =
, motto = (English: 'Pray and Work')
, foun ...
Abbey of Barking. It was founded in the reign of
King Stephen, by the Abbess Adelicia (or Adeliza), as a hospice for thirteen residents.
["History"]
, Ilford Hospital Chapel, retrieved 13 November 2014[Weinreb, p. 427] Historians differ on whether the hospital was for old and infirm men or for
lepers
Leprosy, also known as Hansen's disease (HD), is a long-term infection by the bacteria ''Mycobacterium leprae'' or ''Mycobacterium lepromatosis''. Infection can lead to damage of the nerves, respiratory tract, skin, and eyes. This nerve damag ...
.
[Dugdale, p. 628] Adelicia endowed the foundation generously, with 120 acres of
assart
Assarting is the act of clearing forested lands for use in agriculture or other purposes. In English land law, it was illegal to assart any part of a royal forest without permission. This was the greatest trespass that could be committed in a ...
land in Estholt, two
hides of land in
Upminster
Upminster is a suburb, suburban town in East London, England, within the London Borough of Havering. Located east-northeast of Charing Cross, it is one of the district centres identified for development in the London Plan.
Historically a rural ...
and
Aveley
Aveley is a town and former civil parish in the unitary authority of Thurrock in Essex, England, and forms one of the traditional Church of England parishes. Aveley is 16 miles (26.2 km) east of Charing Cross. In the 2021 United Kingdom ...
, a mill in Ilford, half the income of the parish church at
Barking
Barking may refer to:
Places
* Barking, London, a town in East London, England
** London Borough of Barking and Dagenham, a local government district covering the town of Barking
** Municipal Borough of Barking, a historical local government dist ...
, and the
tithe
A tithe (; from Old English: ''teogoþa'' "tenth") is a one-tenth part of something, paid as a contribution to a religious organization or compulsory tax to government. Today, tithes are normally voluntary and paid in cash or cheques or more r ...
of all her mills in the parish.
[Lysons, p. 106] The hospital was governed by a Prior, a Master or Warden, and there were two chaplains.
[
In 1173 Mary Becket was appointed Abbess. She was the sister of ]Thomas Becket
Thomas Becket (), also known as Saint Thomas of Canterbury, Thomas of London and later Thomas à Becket (21 December 1119 or 1120 – 29 December 1170), was an English nobleman who served as Lord Chancellor from 1155 to 1162, and then ...
, and under her abbacy the chapel was enlarged and the name of her murdered brother was added to its title.[ The Abbey of Barking was dissolved by ]Henry VIII
Henry VIII (28 June 149128 January 1547) was King of England from 22 April 1509 until his death in 1547. Henry is best known for his six marriages, and for his efforts to have his first marriage (to Catherine of Aragon) annulled. His disa ...
in 1539, but the hospital survived, and was taken over by the Crown. The charitable trust that now manages the property believes that this survival was probably due to the function of the chapel as a place of public worship as well as part of the hospice.[ At the time of the dissolution, the hospital's revenues were valued at £16.1s.6½d.][
In 1572 Elizabeth I granted the ownership of the foundation to ]Thomas Fanshawe
Sir Thomas Fanshawe KB (1580 – 17 December 1631) was an English government official and politician who sat in the House of Commons between 1601 and 1629.
Fanshawe was the second son of Thomas Fanshawe and first son by his second wife Joa ...
, who was obliged to provide "a Master, a Chaplain and support for six poor men".[ Under the ]Commonwealth
A commonwealth is a traditional English term for a political community founded for the common good. Historically, it has been synonymous with "republic". The noun "commonwealth", meaning "public welfare, general good or advantage", dates from the ...
the Fanshawes' lands were confiscated, and though they regained possession after the Restoration
Restoration is the act of restoring something to its original state and may refer to:
* Conservation and restoration of cultural heritage
** Audio restoration
** Film restoration
** Image restoration
** Textile restoration
* Restoration ecology
...
they relinquished the ownership, which passed to the Gascoyne
The Gascoyne region is one of the nine administrative regions of Western Australia. It is located in the northwest of Western Australia, and consists of the local government areas of Carnarvon, Exmouth, Shark Bay and Upper Gascoyne. The Gasc ...
family in about 1727, and then, through marriage, into the possession of the Marquesses of Salisbury
A marquess (; french: marquis ), es, marqués, pt, marquês. is a nobleman of high hereditary rank in various European peerages and in those of some of their former colonies. The German language equivalent is Markgraf (margrave). A woman wi ...
in 1821.[ The latter remained owners until 1982, when the sixth Marquess handed over the foundation to the ]Diocese of Chelmsford
The Diocese of Chelmsford is a Church of England diocese, part of the Province of Canterbury. The diocese covers Essex and the five East London boroughs of Barking and Dagenham, Havering, Newham, Redbridge, and Waltham Forest (most of which wer ...
, which set up the Abbess Adelicia Charity that now manages the site.[ Since 1954 the hospital has been a ]listed building
In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Irel ...
; it has Grade II* status, the second most important category.[
Chaplains of the hospital have included the writer Bennet Allen in the 1780s; the orientalist James Reynolds from 1837 to 1866; the future ]Bishop of Durham
The Bishop of Durham is the Anglican bishop responsible for the Diocese of Durham in the Province of York. The diocese is one of the oldest in England and its bishop is a member of the House of Lords. Paul Butler has been the Bishop of Durham ...
, Hensley Henson from 1895 to 1900; and W J Sparrow Simpson
William John Sparrow Simpson (20 June 1859 – 13 February 1952) was an English Anglican priest and writer. He wrote the libretto for John Stainer's oratorio ''The Crucifixion'' (1887), several hymns, and more than fifty books. He was chaplain of ...
, librettist of John Stainer
Sir John Stainer (6 June 1840 – 31 March 1901) was an English composer and organist whose music, though seldom performed today (with the exception of ''The Crucifixion'', still heard at Passiontide in some churches of the Anglican Communi ...
's ''The Crucifixion
The crucifixion and death of Jesus occurred in 1st-century Judea, most likely in AD 30 or AD 33. It is described in the four canonical gospels, referred to in the New Testament epistles, attested to by other ancient sources, and considere ...
'', who held the post from 1904 to 1952.
Structure
The complex consists of the chapel itself with almshouses on each side which were the quarters of the poor brethren and the chaplains. Under the Abbess Adelicia Charity the almshouses have been converted internally into modern flats.[
The chapel has rubble walls covered with cement; the roofs are tiled. The ]nave
The nave () is the central part of a church, stretching from the (normally western) main entrance or rear wall, to the transepts, or in a church without transepts, to the chancel. When a church contains side aisles, as in a basilica-type ...
and chancel
In church architecture, the chancel is the space around the altar, including the choir and the sanctuary (sometimes called the presbytery), at the liturgical east end of a traditional Christian church building. It may terminate in an apse.
Ove ...
are believed to have been rebuilt during the 14th century.["An Inventory of the Historical Monuments in Essex, Volume 2: Central and South West"]
English Heritage
English Heritage (officially the English Heritage Trust) is a charity that manages over 400 historic monuments, buildings and places. These include prehistoric sites, medieval castles, Roman forts and country houses.
The charity states that i ...
, retrieved 13 November 2014 The building underwent drastic Victorian attempts at restoration in 1889–90 when the north porch, organ chamber, south aisle, chapel and vestry were added and in the view of English Heritage
English Heritage (officially the English Heritage Trust) is a charity that manages over 400 historic monuments, buildings and places. These include prehistoric sites, medieval castles, Roman forts and country houses.
The charity states that i ...
, the nave was probably extended westwards.[
The chancel, by , has an early 15th-century east window of three cinque-foiled lights all heavily restored. At the east end there are late 14th or early 15th century windows in the north and south walls. The remaining details are from the 19th century or later. The only ancient details of the six-bay nave, , by are two heavily restored windows, probably early 14th-century, and two trefoiled lights with tracery in a two-centred head.][ The ]reredos
A reredos ( , , ) is a large altarpiece, a screen, or decoration placed behind the altar in a church. It often includes religious images.
The term ''reredos'' may also be used for similar structures, if elaborate, in secular architecture, for ex ...
is by Ninian Comper
Sir John Ninian Comper (10 June 1864 – 22 December 1960) was a Scottish architect; one of the last of the great Gothic Revival architects.
His work almost entirely focused on the design, restoration and embellishment of churches, and the des ...
. The rose window over the west door is attributed to Henry Holiday
Henry Holiday (17 June 183915 April 1927) was a British historical genre and landscape painter, stained-glass designer, illustrator, and sculptor. He is part of the Pre-Raphaelite school of art.
Life Early years and training
Holiday was born ...
, and the west aisle window is by Edward Burne-Jones
Sir Edward Coley Burne-Jones, 1st Baronet, (; 28 August, 183317 June, 1898) was a British painter and designer associated with the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood which included Dante Gabriel Rossetti, John Millais, Ford Madox Brown and Holman Hun ...
.["Chapel, Ilford Hospital of St Mary and St Thomas of Canterbury, Redbridge"]
British Listed Buildings, retrieved 13 November 2014 The organ was installed in the early 20th century. The chaplain's house and almshouses were rebuilt in 1927.[
]
Public access
There is a midday Communion service every Thursday. The chapel has an open day on the second Saturday of each month from March to November inclusive, and takes part in the annual London Open House
Open House London is an annual festival celebrating the architecture and urban landscape of London. It is staged by the charity Open City which campaigns to make London a more accessible, equitable and open city. During the Open House festival, ...
weekend in September."The Hospital Chapel of St Mary & St Thomas"
, Open House London, retrieved 13 November 2014
Gallery
File:Ilford-hospital-chapel-lady-chapel.jpg, alt= interior of church, showing side chapel altar, Lady Chapel
File:Ilford-hospital-chapel-reredos.jpg, alt=interior of church, showing altar and reredos, Reredos
File:Ilford-hospital-chapel-window-west-south.jpg, alt= interior of church, showing stained glass window depicting two saints, Window, south aisle
Notes
References
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External links
*
{{Churches in Redbridge
Church of England church buildings in the London Borough of Redbridge
Chapels in London
Grade II* listed churches in London
Ilford
1140 establishments in England
Grade II* listed buildings in the London Borough of Redbridge