Oxhey Chapel, Gothic church building in Watford Rural, England.
Oxhey Chapel is a Gothic church building in Watford Rural with rectangular form and walls built from knapped flint and red brick with stone trim and a tiled roof. The building sits between the newer parish church and vicarage, representing an example of private worship structures from earlier centuries.
The chapel was built in 1612 by Sir James Altham as a private place of worship for his family and staff at nearby Oxhey Place. The structure reflects the tradition of family chapels that wealthy households constructed during this period.
The interior features wooden benches arranged to face each other in a collegiate style, with an ornate reredos displaying twisted columns and religious inscriptions.
The building sits in a quiet location between the newer parish facilities and is straightforward to reach on foot. Carpenders Park Overground station lies roughly 800 meters away and provides convenient access by public transport.
During the English Civil War in 1649, parliamentary forces used the chapel as a storage space and melted down portions of its lead roof to make musket balls. This episode reveals how the building became caught up in the conflicts of the time.
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