Historic Chapel open to the community; Service of Praise & Thanksgiving
01 Sep 2011 | Historic Chapel open to the community; Service of Praise & Thanksgiving
The Chapel will be open from 6.00pm, with the Service of Praise and Thanksgiving with congregational hymn singing and works for Choir and Organ, commencing at 7.00pm. Refreshments will be served in the School's dining hall from 6.00pm, prior to the Service.
About the Chapel
The building itself was designed by Mr Walter Tapper, later Sir Walter, a prominent English architect. The nave is 25 metres long and 9 metres wide, while the crown of the vault stands 16 metres above the floor of the nave. The seats in the nave are arranged in the traditional collegiate manner, the stalls facing each other. Above the stalls runs a 'monk's walk', often called the 'monkey's walk' by the boys! In medieval times, the monks used to descend from their living quarters to their place of worship by means of such passageways.
The Chapel was consecrated on 25 March 1914. This date is celebrated annually as 'Lady Day' when the School community remembers its Founders and the significance of the day in its history. It is a custom to induct new members of Council and Prefects at the service held to mark the occasion.
The stone used in the building is a sandstone from Donnybrook in the south of Western Australian. The floor is of marble from Italy and Belgium, while the woodwork is hand-carved oak worked by English craftsmen, specially brought out to Western Australia. The Chapel itself stands 21 metres in height and boosts a reredos unequalled in beauty in Australia. With its blaze of blue and gold, it is one of the most striking features of the Chapel. The main framework is of wood, heavily carved, gilded and painted. The panels, representing the lives of our Lord, our Lady and St George, are painted in tempera, a mixture of egg yolks and other materials on a background of wood.
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