Memorial Chapel, The Leys School
Encyclopedia
The Memorial Chapel of The Leys is situated on the grounds of The Leys School
, Cambridge
, England. It was built as a memorial to the first headmaster of The Leys, William Fiddian Moulton
. Plans for the chapel, designed by architect Robert Curwen, were first presented to the school's second headmaster, W.T.A. Barber; he deemed the project an unnecessary luxury. School services continued to be held instead in the school hall, until 1904 when the school governors approved the chapel's construction. The cost, including all furnishings, was estimated in 1925 to have been £39,000.
The foundation stone was laid at the marble West Door by Princess Helena of Waldeck and Pyrmont on 8 June 1905 and the chapel was consecrated on 27 October 1906. The building's design is Gothic
, to complement the surrounding buildings. All visible woodwork is in oak
. The roof comprises elaborately worked tussels and tracery
work, somewhat after the lines of the famous roof of Westminster Hall. The floor is of alternating black and white marble. The chapel was designed to seat 350 boys, with the west balcony reserved for household staff.
and 146 of them died. A memorial to the old Leysians who died, costing £48,000 and funded by donation, was on 6 June 1920 unveiled by the Duke of York
. The memorial consists of four rows of names divided in the middle by a statue of an armoured St George, below which is written "To The Immortal Memory of Old Leysians Who Fell In The War Of 1914–1919", and in large block capitals the words "My Marks And Scars With Me To Be A Witness For Me That I Have Fought His Battles Who Now Will Be My Reward."
All but one of the windows depicts passages from the New Testament concerning the story of Christ
; the large window over the main entrance instead shows ten Old Testament subjects forecasting the coming of The Messiah.
The Leys School
The Leys School is a co-educational Independent school, located in Cambridge, England, and is a day and boarding school for about 550 pupils aged between 11 and 18 years...
, Cambridge
Cambridge
The city of Cambridge is a university town and the administrative centre of the county of Cambridgeshire, England. It lies in East Anglia about north of London. Cambridge is at the heart of the high-technology centre known as Silicon Fen – a play on Silicon Valley and the fens surrounding the...
, England. It was built as a memorial to the first headmaster of The Leys, William Fiddian Moulton
William Fiddian Moulton
right|thumb|Rev. William Fiddian Moulton. Portrait in Moulton Chapel, Leys School, CambridgeRev. William Moulton was an English Methodist minister, Biblical scholar and educator.-Biography:...
. Plans for the chapel, designed by architect Robert Curwen, were first presented to the school's second headmaster, W.T.A. Barber; he deemed the project an unnecessary luxury. School services continued to be held instead in the school hall, until 1904 when the school governors approved the chapel's construction. The cost, including all furnishings, was estimated in 1925 to have been £39,000.
The foundation stone was laid at the marble West Door by Princess Helena of Waldeck and Pyrmont on 8 June 1905 and the chapel was consecrated on 27 October 1906. The building's design is Gothic
Gothic architecture
Gothic architecture is a style of architecture that flourished during the high and late medieval period. It evolved from Romanesque architecture and was succeeded by Renaissance architecture....
, to complement the surrounding buildings. All visible woodwork is in oak
Oak
An oak is a tree or shrub in the genus Quercus , of which about 600 species exist. "Oak" may also appear in the names of species in related genera, notably Lithocarpus...
. The roof comprises elaborately worked tussels and tracery
Tracery
In architecture, Tracery is the stonework elements that support the glass in a Gothic window. The term probably derives from the 'tracing floors' on which the complex patterns of late Gothic windows were laid out.-Plate tracery:...
work, somewhat after the lines of the famous roof of Westminster Hall. The floor is of alternating black and white marble. The chapel was designed to seat 350 boys, with the west balcony reserved for household staff.
Memorials
In 1914, 927 Leysians joined the armed servicesBritish Armed Forces
The British Armed Forces are the armed forces of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.Also known as Her Majesty's Armed Forces and sometimes legally the Armed Forces of the Crown, the British Armed Forces encompasses three professional uniformed services, the Royal Navy, the...
and 146 of them died. A memorial to the old Leysians who died, costing £48,000 and funded by donation, was on 6 June 1920 unveiled by the Duke of York
Duke of York
The Duke of York is a title of nobility in the British peerage. Since the 15th century, it has, when granted, usually been given to the second son of the British monarch. The title has been created a remarkable eleven times, eight as "Duke of York" and three as the double-barreled "Duke of York and...
. The memorial consists of four rows of names divided in the middle by a statue of an armoured St George, below which is written "To The Immortal Memory of Old Leysians Who Fell In The War Of 1914–1919", and in large block capitals the words "My Marks And Scars With Me To Be A Witness For Me That I Have Fought His Battles Who Now Will Be My Reward."
Stained Glass
The Chapel has fourteen windows; the Governors commissioned H. J. Salisbury to decorate them all according to a unified theme. The work was modelled on the windows of the King's College Chapel Cambridge . Because the Leys is a Methodist school, the work was required to be simple and avoid complex symbolism.All but one of the windows depicts passages from the New Testament concerning the story of Christ
Christ
Christ is the English term for the Greek meaning "the anointed one". It is a translation of the Hebrew , usually transliterated into English as Messiah or Mashiach...
; the large window over the main entrance instead shows ten Old Testament subjects forecasting the coming of The Messiah.
The Pulpit
The Pulpit is made of oak and has a brass inscription reading "To the Glory of God and for the Preaching of His holy word this Pulpit was carved by Anne Hobson, Helen Mary Chubb, and George Hayter Chubb, and presented by the latter to The Leys, October, 1906."Benches
There are thirty-two oak benches in The Chapel, thirty with square ends and two with sloping ends.Further reading
- Sir George Hayter Chubb, The Memorial Chapel Of The Leys School Cambridge, Herbert Jenkins, 1925.