Enlightenment

This chapel was used from about 1590 until the opening of the Georgian Chapel in 1743. It contains three features, from the 16th, 17th, and 18th centuries, which illustrate the gradual easing of persecution over the century and a half. At first all ‘Massing Stuff’ had to be concealed when not in use, and so, in the north-west corner, two floor-boards cover a small hide for vestments and church plate – a ’secret corner’, as opposed to a ‘conveyance’, which was a hide big enough for a man.*

Harvington Hall

Small Chapel

During the 18th century it became the custom to use a chest-of-drawers as an altar and simply store the vestments in it. Against the north wall is a chest-of-drawers which was used in this way. and still is when Mass is said here. *

*From the Harvington Hall guidebook by Michael Hodgetts

10 Comments CherryPie on Sep 14th 2017

10 Responses to “The Chapel – Harvington Hall”

  1. Hels says:

    If royal inspectors had visited the chapel looking for evidence of Catholic practices, what did the family say the chapel was for? Since the floor-boards covered the space where vestments and church plate were hidden, did the inspectors really believe the family were using the chapel for Protestant services?

    • CherryPie says:

      The chapel is in the attic and I think at that time the chapel was just an open space with no immediately visible signs of it being a chapel. The floorboards hide conceal any evidence of the space being used as a chapel.

  2. Ayush says:

    i really like the front of the chest, CP. is it some kind of inlaid work? It goes well with the carpet.

  3. Ginnie says:

    A chest of drawers makes the most sense to me, Cherry! :)

  4. Shabana says:

    Interesting story of magnificent chapel .
    Impressive and looks really elegant

  5. Barbara Rogerson says:

    Somewhere that I have not been.