Learn about the famous Duxford Chapel!

To quote English heritage:

"Duxford Chapel is an unusual medieval building with an enigmatic history. The old road on which it stands was originally part of the main Royston to Newmarket road, crossing the river Cam at Whittlesford. It has been suggested that a small hamlet had grown by the bridge, centred on the hospital of Whittlesford Bridge. A prior of the hospital is recorded in 1236 as holding one virgate (15 acres) of land in Duxford and it is generally accepted that this is the site of Duxford Chapel; however the distinction, if any, between chapel and hospital is unclear. There is so far no physical evidence of surrounding buildings or features that might confirm the chapel’s use as a hospital, and by 1337 it appears that Duxford had lost any such function and become a ‘free chapel’ or chantry. When Edward VI dissolved the chantries in 1548 the chapel is said to have been unused for seven years. There may have been an attempt to reinstate it under Queen Mary, as there is a reference to the grant of a pension to the last warden in 1553, but an inventory made just a year later lists the chapel’s contents as a single bell, valued at 6s 8d. Thereafter the adjacent 15th-century Red Lion Inn seems to have played a more significant role in local history and evidently prospered while the chapel languished. The latter was used as a barn by the inn and fell into increasing disrepair, and a 19th-century illustration shows it posted with advertisements."

Come and find out more!

Did the Templars have any interaction with the Chapel? Who were the Hospitalers?

Arrive 6:30-7pm

Wander around the chapel and search a historical coin collection.

At 7pm, David Latta will give a talk on the Templars and their relationship to Duxford Chapel, followed by a panel discussion, of local historians.