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Monument details
| HER Number: | TR 15 NE 1207 |
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| Type of record: | Monument |
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| Name: | The Chantry Chapel of Henry IV, Christ Church Cathedral |
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Summary
This chantry chapel was built to house the King and Queen's altar and consisted of a delightful little chapel with a lovely fan vault, dedicated to St. Edward the Confessor and was erected opposite the tomb in the north ambulatory of the Chapel of the Trinity.
| Grid Reference: | TR 1515 5792 |
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| Map Sheet: | TR15NE |
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| Parish: | CANTERBURY, CANTERBURY, KENT |
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Monument Types
- CHAPEL (Now, Medieval to Unknown - 1409 AD?)
Full description
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King Henry IV established a chantry foundation in his will dated 1409 with 'twey priests to sing and pray for his soul for ever'. This chantry chapel was built to house the King and Queen's altar and consisted of a delightful little chapel with a lovely fan vault, dedicated to St. Edward the Confessor and was erected opposite the tomb in the north ambulatory of the Chapel of the Trinity. It is protected by a stout wooden scree, with iron grilles looking into the little sanctuary which had to be built out on slender pillars like stilts into the space behind the infirmary. The windows have three delightful 15th century figures in stained glass, those of St. Christopher; St. Edward; and St. Catherine. This elaborate and costly work, probably carried out by Master Mason William Beke, must have taken a long time to execute as it was not glazed until 1438 and finally dedicated in 1439, after the death of Queen Joan. Henry IV had died at the young age of 46 in 1413 and is the only medieval King to have been buried in the Cathedral.
John Newman, 1969, The Buildings of England: North East and East Kent (Monograph). SKE7874.
Ingram Hill, D., 1976, Christ's Glorious Church, The Story of Canterbury Cathedral (Monograph). SKE30200.
Collinson, P., Ramsey, N. & Sparks, M., 1995, A History of Canterbury Cathedral (Monograph). SKE30201.
Blockley, K., Sparks, M. & Tatton-Brown, T., 1997, Canterbury Cathedral Nave, Archaeology, History and Architecture (Monograph). SKE29723.
Sources and further reading
| Cross-ref.
| Source description | | --- | Monograph: Blockley, K., Sparks, M. & Tatton-Brown, T.. 1997. Canterbury Cathedral Nave, Archaeology, History and Architecture. |
| --- | Monograph: Ingram Hill, D.. 1976. Christ's Glorious Church, The Story of Canterbury Cathedral. |
| --- | Monograph: Collinson, P., Ramsey, N. & Sparks, M.. 1995. A History of Canterbury Cathedral. |
| --- | Monograph: John Newman. 1969. The Buildings of England: North East and East Kent. |
