Dr Kate Giles, University of York
Stratford-upon-Avon Guild Chapel, Warwickshire: A Medieval Guild Chapel and its
Antiquarian Study
In 1563/4, the accounts of John Shakespeare, chamberlain of the corporation of
Stratford-upon-Avon recorded a payment of 2s. made for ‘defasyng ymages in ye
chapell’ and the following year, another 2s. was spent ‘takynge doune ye rood loft in
ye Chapell’. The chapel in question was that of the Holy Cross Guild, located in the
centre of Stratford-upon-Avon and part of a complex of guild buildings dating to the
fifteenth century. This paper presents the results of recent research on the guild
chapel, which was substantially rebuilt by the merchant Sir Hugh Clopton in the
latter part of the fifteenth century, and which was decorated with a cycle of wall
paintings including scenes from the Legend of the True Cross, a Last Judgement and
the Dance of Death. This research has raised important questions about the extent to
which the paintings survived the Reformation, and has shed important new light on
the contribution of 19th and 20th century Antiquarian scholars on their discovery,
recording and interpretation. The paper will explore how these layers of meaning
add to our current understanding and are informing the development of virtual
models of the chapel, being created in conjunction with the digital heritage
consultancy Heritage Technology Ltd.