Senior School Tour: the Chapel

History of our chapel

Worship has been an intrinsic part of Sedbergh School since its foundation in 1525. Founded by Roger Lupton as a Chantry School, daily prayer has featured at Sedbergh from the very beginning. The earliest scholars worshiped in St Andrew’s Church and later in the current School Library, however as the School grew in the late 1800’s, Headmaster Hart made plans for a dedicated place of worship. Initially a wooden chapel was built, near the site of the current bursary, However when this was damaged in a storm in 1893, just three years after being built, consideration was given to a more substantial and dignified structure that would withstand Cumbrian weather, and create a solid home for worship and reflection within School.

An appeal began in 1894 to raise funds and in June 1895 Bishop Boyd Carpenter of Ripon laid the foundation stone at the east end of the future Chapel. Building work began when only partial funds had been raised, leading to appeals by letter and in the pages of the Sedberghian encouraging donors to consider giving more. In March 1896 the Sedberghian included an appeal, ‘Our readers must not suppose that the whole design will be carried out, unless we are able to add to our Building Fund we shall be able to build the Nave for about two-thirds of its length and the North Transept only.’ The final cost of the building work, raised entirely through donation, was £7826 12s 11d with further donations given to fund the stained glass windows and the reredos. This figure equates to nearly £700,000 in today’s money: a phenomenal fundraising effort and testament to the loyalty of the School community during Hart’s tenure.

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