Wolford Chapel
Wolford Chapel, Woolford
Listed on the National Heritage List for England. Search over 400,000 listed places
Overview
- Heritage Category:
- Listed Building
- Grade:
- II
- List Entry Number:
- 1146636
- Date first listed:
- 22-Feb-1955
- List Entry Name:
- Wolford Chapel
- Statutory Address:
- Wolford Chapel, Woolford
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Location
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Images of England Project
- Date:
- 2004-05-14
- Reference:
- IOE01/12049/16
- Rights:
- © Norman Wigg. Source: Historic England Archive
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Discover moreOfficial list entry
- Heritage Category:
- Listed Building
- Grade:
- II
- List Entry Number:
- 1146636
- Date first listed:
- 22-Feb-1955
- List Entry Name:
- Wolford Chapel
- Statutory Address 1:
- Wolford Chapel, Woolford
The scope of legal protection for listed buildings
This List entry helps identify the building designated at this address for its special architectural or historic interest.
Unless the List entry states otherwise, it includes both the structure itself and any object or structure fixed to it (whether inside or outside) as well as any object or structure within the curtilage of the building.
For these purposes, to be included within the curtilage of the building, the object or structure must have formed part of the land since before 1st July 1948.
The scope of legal protection for listed buildings
This List entry helps identify the building designated at this address for its special architectural or historic interest.
Unless the List entry states otherwise, it includes both the structure itself and any object or structure fixed to it (whether inside or outside) as well as any object or structure within the curtilage of the building.
For these purposes, to be included within the curtilage of the building, the object or structure must have formed part of the land since before 1st July 1948.
Location
- Statutory Address:
- Wolford Chapel, Woolford
The building or site itself may lie within the boundary of more than one authority.
- County:
- Devon
- District:
- East Devon (District Authority)
- Parish:
- Dunkeswell
- National Grid Reference:
- ST 13715 05240
Details
ST 10 NW
5/36
DUNKESWELL
WOOLFORD
Wolford Chapel
22.2.55
II
Chapel belonging to Canada. 1800, built by Lieutenant General John Graves Simcoe, restored circa 1966. Local stone rubble with limestone ashlar detail; slate roof.
Plan: small chapel is rectangular in plan with the entrance in the west end.
Exterior: both long sides (north and south) have two window fronts of square-headed single light windows containing Decorated tracery. In the west end the doorway is a two-centred arch with hoodmould and directly above is a quatrefoil oculus. There is a chamfered plinth around the building and below it, on the east, west and south sides, are a series of arch-headed niches, most of which contain slate plaques in memory of various members of the Simcoe family. The roof is gable-ended with shaped barge boards.
Interior: the roof structure is hidden by a plaster segmental vault. The walls are plastered and the floor is laid with C19 tiles. Carved oak reredos in Gothic style and including painted panels of the Lords Prayer and Commandments. Beerstone ashlar altar in Gothic style. Oak altar rail on cast iron standards. The oak reading desk the pews and wainscotting incorporate a great deal of C17 carved pieces including linenfold panels, chip-carved lunettes flowers and the like. The font is Beerstone and Gothic in style. There are some probably C18 lozenge-shaped boards on the walls painted with armorial bearings. A plaque also records that in 1966 the deeds of the chapel were handed to the Prime Minister of Ontario by Sir Geoffrey Harmsworth whose family previously owned restored and maintained the chapel.
It is the burial place of Lieutenant General John Graves Simcoe (1752-1806) who was the first Lieutenant Governor of Upper Canada, now Ontario, and was the founder of the city of York, now Toronto. The chapel is apparently built on the site of Old Wulphere Church.
Listing NGR: ST1371505240
Legacy
The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.
- Legacy System number:
- 86591
- Legacy System:
- LBS
Legal
This building is listed under the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990 as amended for its special architectural or historic interest.
Map
This map is for quick reference purposes only and may not be to scale. This copy shows the entry on 10-Jun-2026 at 14:47:07.
Download a full scale map (PDF)End of official list entry
All text content is available under the Open Government Licence v3.0 , except where otherwise stated. Any supplied maps are © Crown Copyright [and database rights] 2026 OS AC0000815036 and may not be reproduced without permission.