Chantry
Chapel of St Mary the Virgin
St.
Mary's Chapel upon
St. Mary's Chapel upon
It has been said that the chapel built for prayers therein for the souls of
those who fell in the Battle of Wakefield 1,
but as the chapel was licensed in 1356 (30 Edward 3rd), it seems
therefore that King Edward could only have endowed or enriched the Chapel. From
evidence available the chapel was built by the people of
There is another twist in the story as the following appeared in the
Wakefield & Harrogate Journal
"We understand that the Roman Catholics of Wakefield and its vicinity are
about to contract with the Governors of the
There seems to be no official record of this, did the reporter confuse St.
Mary's Chapel upon
In 1842 the then Vicar of
An Act of Parliament in 1844 divided Wakefield parish and created the Parish of St. Andrews (Eastmoor) and St. Mary's (Kirkgate) leading to the chapel opening on Easter 1848 as the Parish Church of St. Mary's this lasted until the new church for St. Mary's, built in Charles Street, was consecrated in 1854.
Unfortunately most of the building you see today is relatively modern, for in 1847/8 the building was demolished to bridge level and reconstructed at a cost of £3,000. The medieval front of the chapel was sold to the Hon. G. C. Norton and used to form the front of the boathouse at Kettlethorpe Hall where it stood until 1996
Boathouse of Kettlethorpe Hall showing the
medieval front of Chantry Chapel
The front of the chapel was replaced again in 1939/40 due to problems encountered with pollution damaging the stone used.
Interior of the Chantry Chapel of St. Mary the Virgin
1 See Chapel of King Edward III on
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