Visit to the Guards Chapel, Wellington Barracks: G E Street Bicentenary

Imagine a Sunday morning in June eighty years ago. Soldiers and civilians have gathered in the Guards Chapel for the morning service and the choir has just begun the Sung Eucharist. Then a V1 flying bomb, a doodle-bug, crashes into the roof and explodes, killing 121 soldiers and civilians and seriously injuring 141 others. Yet the silver cross on the altar is untouched and the candles continue to burn.

Despite the destruction, the apse, built by G E Street in 1877-79, is still standing and part of the building is reopened for services by Christmas 1944. Bruce George’s airy, modern rebuilding of 1963, using as its focal point Street’s apse, incorporates stained glass by Clayton and Bell, mosaics by Salviati, metalwork by Leaver and carving by Earp, is as much a memorial to those who died as a showcase of what survived.

This is a rare opportunity to see the building in the company of an expert in church iconography, the Revd. Lis Goddard, who is the vicar of St James the Less, Pimlico.

Meeting Point: Outside the Guards Chapel, Birdcage Walk, SW1E 6HQ

This event helps raise funds for The Victorian Society - the only charity dedicated to fighting for our Victorian and Edwardian heritage. Funds raised from events and memberships allow us to employ expert caseworkers to reply to thousands of planning applications a year in our role as a statutory consultee in the planning system.

We help tackle the climate emergency by campaigning for the sensitive reuse of historic buildings to generate much lower carbon emissions than demolition and rebuild. Join us today and safeguard our unique cultural heritage for future generations! For further information, .

FAQs

How do I get to the meeting point?

Nearest buses run along Victoria Street and include 11, 24, 26, 148 and 211.

The nearest railway station is Victoria. The nearest tube station is St Jame's Park.

How can I contact the organiser with any questions?

Please contact Ruth Miller by email at [email protected] before the day of the event.

Image: Wikimedia Commons; John Salmon / Guards Chapel, Wellington Barracks - Apse /

Host or Publisher The Victorian Society