Chapel Tour Menu
2. The Altar
3. The Ceiling
The Chapel was Henry VIII's last great building project as Hampton Court Palace. Wok began in 1535. In the Chapel, while in the Royal Pew, Henry VIII first heard of the allegations made against Katheryn Howard. This is where the legend that Katheryn Howard ran down the Haunted Gallery in search of Henry in the Royal Pew.
On Feast Days or other Holy Days, the King and Queen would lead a procession from the royal apartments to the Haunted Gallery and then into the Chapel. Doors from the Haunted Gallery led to the upstairs balcony, known as the "Royal Pew" or the King/Queen's Holiday Closets. Here, the King and Queen could hear Mass while members of the court sat below. Stairs from the Royal Pew led down to the main floor of the chapel. Later monarchs, such as Queen Anne, significantly altered the pew, giving it much of its appearance today. However, some still remains of Henry VIII's pew. For example, in the last few years the Tudor beams supporting the pew became extremely unstable and had to be restored and refitted to keep from collapsing. It is now in good working order and open for the public.
In Henry VIII's day, the Chapel Atlar was not as it appears today. Two large stained glass windows, depicting Henry VIII, Katherine of Aragon, and Cardinal Wolsey hung above the altar. During the Commonwealth, these windows were destroyed. Queen Anne, when renovating the Chapel, had the altar rebuilt. This is how the altar received the appearance it has today.
The organ to the right is most likely the organ ordered for the chapel in 1708.
Opposite the Altar, under the Royal Pew was the door used by members of the court who had come to hear service. The picture below shows the outside of this door, where the surviving arms of Jane Seymour still flank the door.
Above: Jane Seymour and Henry VIII's arms outside the Chapel.
Left: Window in the same hallway. My brother is sitting on the window seal-he is about 6'1'', so you can get an idea of how large these windows are!
The ceiling now bears a close resemblance to its original Tudor form. During the reign of Queen Anne, the ceiling was painted and lost much of its original Tudor grandeur. However, during the reign of Queen Victoria, the ceiling was restored. The blue paint was reapplied as well as the gild. Not original to the Tudor ceiling, however, were the gold stars.
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