Leper Chapel, Barnwell

The Leper Chapel of Barnwell is one of the most unspoilt examples of Norman architecture in the UK [1]. It is a building constructed of a broad nave and a narrow chancel. Today, it sits quietly by the busy Newmarket Road. You can visit the chapel on a single day in September when the Stourbridge Fair takes place (see Figures 1 and 2).

Figure 1 – View of the chapel from the east, with Stourbridge Fair stalls in front.

Figure 2 – Plan view of the chapel [2]

The chapel’s history is inextricably linked with that of the fair. The chapel dates to the middle of the 12^th century, where it was constructed as a part of a hospital for a colony of lepers. The lepers were expected to lead a religious life, strictly observing the rituals. They also worked the land and begged for alms. Despite this, their sources of income were meagre, and the rental of the hospital land was necessary. This led to the beginnings of the Stourbridge Fair, which in a few centuries would be described as ‘the biggest fair in Europe’.

With the decline of leprosy in the latter part of the 13^th century, the wholesale rental of the chapel and its surrounding lands became common practice. By the middle of the 18^th century, the chapel ceased to be a place of worship. Throughout the year, it was used as a storage place for stalls of the fair. During the fair, it was used as a drinking booth. However, the continued commercial use meant that the chapel was kept in good condition.

Figure 3 – A view of the chapel from the northeast, drawn by Cotman [3]

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Figure 4 – A drawing of the interior of the chapel, looking towards the chancel arch [3]

The decline of the Stourbridge fair in the 18^th century initiated a period of neglect for the chapel. Prints from the early 19^th century (see Figures 3 and 4) document the dilapidated building [3]. In these prints, we can see chimneys rising on the nave and chancel roofs as well as a new door in the chancel. Pearce [4] relates these aspects to the various uses of the building during the period. In particular, the new door may have facilitated moving the fair stalls in and out. This door may have also allowed separate use of the chancel and nave for inhabitation.

Figure 5 – The western wall of the chapel which was constructed in the 19^th century by G. G. Scott

Figure 6 –Western and southern walls of the chapel

Figure 7 – The medieval northern nave window and the western wall window of Scott. It is difficult to tell which one is medieval.

Today, the chapel is in good condition. This was possible due to the restoration works carried out in the 19^th and 20^th centuries, in part by George Gilbert Scott. Scott had a notorious preference for ‘restoring the whole church to the purest style of which traces remain’ [6]. Nonetheless, his reconstructed western wall is in perfect harmony with the rest of the church (see Figures 5 and 6). The west wall maintains the continuity of fine details such as the sawtooth patterned string course, the billet frieze and the shafted quoins. His central window, with its elaborate nook shafts and chevron mouldings, is a precise replica of the medieval northern window of the nave (see Figure 7). However, it is possible to distinguish the western wall of the nave from the southern and northern walls. The cobblestone that was used in the western wall is large and tightly packed and the mortar has a more cementitious appearance.

Figure 8 – The heavily modified eastern wall of the chapel

Not all of the restoration and rehabilitation efforts were as reverent as Scott’s. The east chancel wall preserves a detailed record of these less successful efforts (Figure 8). Cotman’s prints show a medieval lancet window here (see Figure 3), although today we find an unremarkable rectangular window. Just above this window is the billet frieze. Surprisingly, the level of the frieze on this wall is lower than on the northern and southern chancel walls, disturbing the continuity. The light cream coloured stones, which are above the existing window, may be indicating the original position of the lancet window, above which the billet frieze may have originally stood, in continuity with other walls.

Figure 9 – Various construction details of the eastern chancel wall

A closer examination of the upper part of the chancel eastern wall reveals further information (Figure 9). Here, different types of building material indicate phases of structural interventions. Above the billet frieze, stones appear to trace an arch. These stones may have been the remainders of the vault which originally covered the chancel, and which collapsed at the turn of the 14^th century. Above this curved trace, the wall is of rubble construction. The triangular edges of this construction, where the wall meets the timber roof, is delineated. Interestingly, this triangular trace is marked twice, first by limestone, second by bricks. Does this indicate that the structure was roofed several times?

Figure 10 – Chancel arch, viewed from west. Photo is from [5].

Figure 11 – The vault responds in the chancel

Figure 12 – The nave roof

Figure 13 – The wall plate and post, placed inappropriately in front of a medieval nave window

On the other side of the eastern chancel wall, inside the chapel, we see two stubby and elegant columns, which are diagonally placed (Figure 11). These are the vault responds [5], which predated the timber roof that exists today. The current roof is reportedly from c. 1400, though as discussed above, there are some signs of later alterations. The roof consists of principal rafters, which are supported by wall plates and posts (Figure 12). The specific placing of posts on the nave wall is disruptive and structurally inefficient. In particular, it is hard to understand why wall plates and posts were placed right in the middle of a medieval window, causing its partial demolition (Figure 13). 

REFERENCES
[1] Bradley, Simon, and Nikolaus Pevsner. Cambridgeshire. The Buildings of England. Yale University Press, 2014

[2] Retrieved from the website: http://www.british-history.ac.uk/rchme/cambs/pp298-304.

The website holds wonderful information on various ecclesiastical buildings.

[3] Cotman, J. S.  Antiquities of St. Mary's Chapel at Stourbridge, 1819.

[4] Pearce, Barry. A Brief History of the Leper Chapel, 2016. Pearce’s research on the chapel was presented with information boards during the 2016 Stourbridge Fair.

[5] Retrieved from the website: http://www.crsbi.ac.uk/site/1100/. The website features detailed information and high quality photos of Romanesque architectural details. 
[6] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Victorian_restoration