Parts of the Guild Chapel may date back to 1269 when the Guild of the Holy Cross was given permission to build a hospital and chapel. The chancel was rebuilt in the 1450s and the nave, porch and west tower were reconstructed in the 1490s This later work was funded by Hugh Clopton (died 1496), a Stratford-born man who had prospered in London as a mercer – a dealer in textiles – and who served as Lord Mayor there in 1491. The interior was decorated with wall paintings, substantial parts of which survive.*
In the late 15th and early 16th centuries the walls were painted with a series of striking images. These all depicted the saints, the gates of heaven and hell, and other popular reflections on the afterlife. Following the Reformation, these images were banned, Elizabeth I passing Royal Injunction in 1559 demanding “removal of all signs of superstition and idolatry from places of worship”.
In Stratford, that Royal injunction was received by the Corporation of Stratford and John Shakespeare, father of the playwright, who was Chamberlain of the Corporation. Surviving council records show that in 1563 John Shakespeare authorised payment of 2s for ‘defasyng ymages in ye chappell’. Whether they were all covered at that time or at a later date is unknown. William Shakespeare was born in 1564 and it is quite possible the paintings, or some of them, were still visible during his lifetime. Speculation also surrounds John Shakespeare’s willingness to follow the orders he was given, with scholars long debating whether John and his family followed the Catholic faith the Reformation was out to suppress. What we do know is that rather than the paintings being defaced, they were largely limewashed over instead (only the face of the Archangel Michael in the Allegory of Death painting can be seen to have been clearly ‘defaced’ – literally scratched away). This limewashing actually served to protect the paintings, many of them in very fine detail.**
Tags: Chapel, Stratford-upon-Avon, The Guild Chapel, Vacation, Wall Paintings, Warwickshire
… in 2023
We chose not to brave the hailstones and wind on New Years Day preferring to have a cosy afternoon at home playing board games (another of my pleasures). The following day (2nd January) led to my first walk of 2023 in Telford Town Park with Mr C.
Later we enjoyed fine dining at Chez Nous accompanied by the twinkling lights of our Christmas tree. Neither of us were quite ready to take the Christmas decorations down, probably due to most of our Christmas cards arriving late… That will now be a job for tomorrow!
Tags: #walk1000miles, #walk1000miles2023, Hawaiin Fried Rice, Sainsbury's Eat Healthy 2023
Some special moments and memories from 2022, one from each month of the year. The photographs are taken from a calendar that I created for myself and due to the printing deadline, December’s photograph is also from November.
1. The Inclined Plane, Coalport, 2. Lichfield Cathedral, 3. Local Pathway, 4. Llangollen Canal Nr Chirk Aqueduct, 5. violet’s Tea Room Bridgnorth, 6. Waddesden Manor, 7. Tewkesbury, 8. Sandringham Church, 9. Attingham Park, 10. The Long Walk, Windsor, 11. The Guild Chapel, Stratford-upon-Avon, 12. Stratford-upon-Avon
Tags: 2022, Attingham Park, Berkshire, Bridgnorth, Bridle Path, Buckinghamshire, Chirk, Coalport, Gloucestershire, Lichfield, Lichfield Cathedral, Llangollen Canal, Norfolk, Sandringham Church, Shropshire, Staffordshire, Stratford-upon-Avon, Tewkesbury, The Guild Chapel, The Inclined Plane, There's Always One, Violets Tea Room, Waddesden Manor, Warwickshire, Windsor
Leek and potato curry with smoked fish accompanied by mango chutney and lime wedges.
It was delicious 
Tags: Chez Nous, Dining at Chez Nous, Lindsey Bareham, One Pot Wonders
The American Fountain is a favourite focal point in the town’s marketplace, and its creation brought together an unlikely mixture of people. It was intended as a tribute to Queen Victoria, whose Golden Jubilee was being celebrated, to Shakespeare, and to the relationship between the USA and England. The fountain is heavily decorated with quotations and sculptural details which enforce these messages.
- More information about the memorial fountain can be found here.
Tags: Market Square, Stratford-upon-Avon 2022, The American Fountain, Vacation, Warwickshire
