Neil MacGregor’s History of the World in 100 Objects, based on artefacts in the British Museum and broadcast on BBC Radio 4 as a series of 15 minute talks, captured the imagination of many people. The History of Charterhouse in 100 Objects is based on a similar concept, exploring the artefacts remaining in our Museum store. Object 31 has now been added to the series.
Object 31: Memorial Chapel Consecration
Chapel was consecrated exactly ninety years ago, on 18 June 1927, so this seemed an appropriate time to feature an unusual wooden model, which you may have spotted in the IT room of Library. It is made from Yew and Ebony wood and was made c1990 by local craftsman, Stephen Owen, at the request of Charles Henderson OC (B1958). It is constructed from 470 pieces of wood and took 600 hours to complete. It also conceals a secret: inside there are three drawers, designed to hold eighty pieces of cutlery; the roof and side wall hinge open to provide extra storage space.
Read more about the craftsman here:stephenowen.com
Charterhouse Memorial Chapel was the inspiration of Frank Fletcher (Headmaster 1911-1935), who began fundraising for a new Chapel in August 1917 when OC losses had already overtaken the number of boys in the School. It was designed by Sir Giles Gilbert Scott and funded by private donations from parents, OCs and staff. The foundation stone was laid on 17 June 1922 by the Archbishop of Canterbury and the completed Chapel was consecrated on 18 June 1927.
687 of those who died in the First World War are named on commemorative panels at the west end of the School’s Memorial Chapel, on the west facing half wall of the antechapel. Names are listed by year of leaving school and then alphabetically, save where later addenda have been slipped into available space; two school servants have been added at the end of the final panel. Opposite, on the east-facing wall, are panels bearing the names of those who fell in the Second World War. For the three masters (one of whom is also listed as a pupil) there are inscriptions within the Chapel itself, alongside the transverse pews immediately to east of the half-wall.
| History of Charterhouse in 100 Objects | PDF |
Some OC casualties are not named on the Chapel panels: the School’s final War List was completed in December 1919 and those who died later of injuries sustained during the conflict were not included. Given the scale of the conflict it is not surprising that further omissions have emerged since and, although a few have been squeezed in out of sequence, others remain unlisted. A wall tablet installed in Chapel’s north-west porch in 2014 acknowledges collectively these others who also lost their lives, and every known OC casualty has a biographical entry on this website.
Read all about the grand opening of Chapel here: charterhouse.daisy.websds.net