Radley College Chapel

There was a real possibility that the existing Grade II* listed chapel at Radley could be deemed unfit for purpose. The school were ready to increase capacity and had already outgrown the chapel and needed a larger, more accessible building for their daily congregations. Therefore, our primary objective was to find a solution that would secure the long-term future and pave the way for future conservation and restoration works. The primary intervention to the east end provides space for the sanctuary and the opportunity for internal reordering to facilitate three additional rows of seats, increasing capacity by 30% as set out in the brief. The outcome is a celebration of craftsmanship, demonstrated in the fine handcrafted materials used to extend, enhance and modernise the chapel spaces. The cost of using high quality materials and highly skilled craftspeople will be countered by the longevity of the chapel. Whilst the deemed lifespan is over 100 years, using high-quality, fixable materials means the building could have a lifespan of many hundreds of years. A building of this quality requires exceptionally skilled craftspeople, which also support local economies. Internal brick repairs were undertaken alongside making good on completion of the extension using the original bricks that had been carefully removed in the construction phase. Where new bricks were essential, they were made using locally sourced clay excavated and fired at Northcot Bricks in Moreton-in-Marsh, 34 miles from source to site. 87 different types of handmade bricks were used, requiring over 50 different moulds and four bespoke finishes were blended to match the existing building. Cadeby limestone, quarried in 150 miles from site in Doncaster, was sourced via OG Stonemasonry in Witney, Oxfordshire. The historic pews were carefully taken apart and remodelled for the new layout. 88 separate painted-glass panels form the east windows, designed, fabricated and installed by York Glaziers Trust. The European oak roof is made up of 1177 sections, including sarking boards. The floor, which was insulated during re-laying works, is a combination of White Carrara and Nero Marquina marbles. The heating strategy improves the consistency of the temperature and relative humidity within the building to provide a better environment for the artefacts, memorials and fabric of the building. The Sanctuary was designed to ensure that the memorials and artefacts within the space are not impacted by direct sunlight, further improving the consistency of the environment. Our conservation plan for the building sets out future phases to replace 1980’s plastic rainwater goods with cast iron, undertake brickwork repairs, repoint using lime mortar, replacing areas of cementitious mortar and to replace an asbestos roof of the chapel whilst implementing thermal improvements. On returning after completion, the Conservation Officer for the project noted: ‘The Chapel looks absolutely fantastic and wouldn’t have been possible without the work of the project team. So much intricate detail, superb selection of materials and wonderful workmanship.’.