St Thomas à Becket Chapel is a Grade II listed building situated in the town of

Milford Haven Milford Haven ( cy, Aberdaugleddau, meaning "mouth of the two Rivers Cleddau") is both a town and a community in Pembrokeshire, Wales. It is situated on the north side of the Milford Haven Waterway, an estuary forming a natural harbour that has ...

. It was constructed in 1180 and dedicated to

St 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 ...

. It commanded fine views of the Haven estuary, situated on the north bank in open space. Along with two other chapels, now disappeared, at

Herbrandston Herbrandston is a village, parish and community on the north side of the River Cleddau, in Pembrokeshire, Wales. It is located to the west of Milford Haven and Hakin and east of St Ishmael's. Before 1960 and the building of the ESSO oil refine ...

and St Anne's Head, it functioned not only as a Catholic place of worship, but also as a Beacon Chapel, or lighthouse to sailors.Wing Commander Ken McKay ''A Vision Of Greatness: The History of Milford 1790-1990'', Brace Harvatt Associates, 1989. The chapel enjoyed a dependent relationship with the nearby

Pill Priory Pill Priory is a Tironian house founded near Milford Haven, Pembrokeshire, South West Wales in the late 12th century. Pill Priory was founded as a daughter house of St Dogmaels Abbey (raised to Abbey status in 1120), near Cardigan, itself a prio ...

. By the 17th century the structure was in ruins, when it was occupied by Parliamentarian forces in 1644.James Frederick Rees ''The Story of Milford'', University Of Wales Press, 1954 ASIN B000MYZBCQ It later acquired a function as storage for the battery located on the Rath. In the twentieth century, it had become used as a pigsty and stable. In 1930, £1,000 was raised, and the building was reconstructed, work completed in 1938. It was re-consecrated as an Anglican

chapel of ease A chapel of ease (or chapel-of-ease) is a church architecture, church building other than the parish church, built within the bounds of a parish for the attendance of those who cannot reach the parish church conveniently. Often a chapel of ea ...

. It is built of rubble stone with a graded slate roof, small

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 ...

, both with pointed

barrel vault A barrel vault, also known as a tunnel vault, wagon vault or wagonhead vault, is an architectural element formed by the extrusion of a single curve (or pair of curves, in the case of a pointed barrel vault) along a given distance. The curves are ...

s. The interior is simple with plastered vaults, small niches each side in chancel and a curved

rood A rood or rood cross, sometimes known as a triumphal cross, is a cross or crucifix, especially the large crucifix set above the entrance to the chancel of a medieval church. Alternatively, it is a large sculpture or painting of the crucifixion ...

beam with rood. The nave south facing windows have stained glass of 1935 and 1939 to Sir Hugh Thomas of Castle Hall. In 2012 it was privately sold, in spite of local opposition.'Piece of Milford Haven history sold as private bid wins chapel'
Western Telegraph article, 22 June 2012

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:St Thomas a Becket Chapel, Milford Haven Grade II listed churches in Pembrokeshire History of Pembrokeshire 12th-century establishments in Wales Buildings and structures in Milford Haven Chapels in Pembrokeshire Archaeological sites in Pembrokeshire