 Welbeck
Chapel
History
The fifth Duke of Portland was notorious for his many building works at Welbeck Abbey, but he also demolished some buildings, notably the chapel, which stood at the east end of the Oxford wing. After he died, and was succeeded at Welbeck by the 6th Duke, the family attended church services in adjoining village churches.
The old Riding School had been left redundant by the opening of a new Riding School (supposedly the second largest in Europe) at a distance from the main property.
Lady Augusta Bolsover, step mother to the 6th duke, screened off one end of the old Riding School with a long red baize curtain. She introduced seats, a reading desk and a temporary altar, as well as a harmonium, so that services could take place. A choir was formed from estate employees. The Rev James Butterwick was appointed resident chaplain.
These arrangements continued until the time of the sixth duke’s marriage in 1889, when the present chapel was built on the same site (the far end of the old Riding School, beyond the Titchfield Library) to designs by the architect John Sedding. In his memoirs, Portland stated that Sedding ‘was recommended to me by Frank Mildmay’. He produced designs, but unfortunately Sedding and his wife died of virulent influenza before work began.
It was left to Henry Wilson, Sedding’s assistant, to carry out the work.
The plans were approved in 1889, and work began in 1891. It was completed in 1896.
Sedding’s original plans are not known to have survived, so it is unclear how much of the finished work was Sedding, and how much was Henry Wilson.
The chapel is accessed internally from the Titchfield library. The two rooms were completed in 1896.
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