Memorial Chapel, The Leys School
A Grade II listed Gothic Revival school chapel of 1906, with oak fittings, fourteen windows and a 1920 war memorial.
The Memorial Chapel stands in the grounds of The Leys School and is Grade II listed. William Fiddian Moulton, the school's first headmaster, is the man it commemorates. The chapel was consecrated in the autumn of 1906, on 27 October. The school is a working school, so this is a chapel to know about rather than somewhere to drop in.
Building the chapel
The architect was Robert Curwen. His plans were first shown to the school's second headmaster, who thought the project an unnecessary luxury, and services carried on in the school hall until the governors approved construction in 1904. The foundation stone was laid on 8 June 1905. The design is Gothic Revival to suit the neighbouring buildings. All the visible woodwork is oak, the floor alternates black and white marble, and the roof of worked trestles and tracery was modelled loosely on that of Westminster Hall. It was built to seat 350 boys. In 1925 the cost, with all furnishings, was estimated at £39,000.
Windows and memorials
H. J. Salisbury decorated all fourteen windows to a unified scheme modelled on the windows of King's College Chapel. The school's Methodist character meant the glass had to be plain, without complex symbolism. Most of the windows show passages from the New Testament, while the large window above the main entrance has ten Old Testament subjects foretelling the Messiah.
A First World War memorial was unveiled on 6 June 1920 and carries four rows of names below a figure of St George in armour. Of the 927 Leysians who joined the services in 1914, 146 died.
Visiting
Public opening times are not published, so contact the school before planning a visit. If you are nearby, King's College Chapel shows the original that inspired the windows.
Nearby
Within a few minutes' walk
