ARCHIVES KINGSWOOD ASSOCIATION NEWS 2021-22
THE HISTORY OF THE CHAPEL IN ITS CENTENARY YEAR…. When the new school in Bath was first opened in 1852, it was not possible to fund the construction of a chapel; postponing the building of the chapel saved £875 on the overall construction costs. The dining room was used for worship instead (hence the stained-glass windows), as were Wesleyan chapels in Bath. In fact, this was the only time the boys were allowed off the school site. Notably, on Sundays, the juniors went to the chapel in Walcott and the seniors to New King Street, in a church that was severely damaged by bombing in the Second World War and subsequently pulled down. In this cartoon, the boys can be seen descending the hill in “Divisions” four abreast and returning by themselves via a variety of routes. According to Michael Bishop, a former archivist, there were constant reminders to the boys to behave well and “remember the feelings of old military men in Queen Square,” although it seems such requests were not always heeded!
A magazine article dated July 1922 reads: “A chapel at Kingswood is the dream of seventy years or more … we cannot describe in detail the beauty of this worthy memorial … The masonry is of local stone (that is a Bath limestone ashlar with a Welsh
Chapel from South West c.1930s
slate roof) throughout, with three-light side windows, a five-light west window and a five-lighted apsidal end to the chancel. The chancel is finished in “stuc” plaster with stone dressings, to the arches. The organ chamber - an organ is still to be hoped for - on the south side and the vestry on the north. The whole of the woodwork is oak, and the floor, which slopes gently up to the west end, is paved with oak blocks. The building is well lighted with electricity, and the heating and ventilation are of the most up-to-date character…” The now Grade II listed War Memorial Chapel was designed by Gunton and Gunton, a London-based firm of architects, 47
built by Messrs. Hayward and Wooster of Bath and opened on 16th June 1922. It is said to be built in the Neo-Perpendicular Gothic style. Buglers from the Somerset Light Infantry sounded, “The last post” before Owen Spencer Watkins dedicated the memorials within it “to the Glory of God and in memory of those who gave up their own lives that others might live in freedom, and of Him who gave his whole life in the service of youth”. Sadly, 116 old boys and three former members of staff died in the Great War. The stained-glass west window above the gallery (a piece of work by Messrs. Morris & Co., of Rochester Row, London) is the gift of the Old Boys to the memory of those who laid down their lives in the war.
