Skip to content
The Great Britain Guide

Historic churches · Yorkshire & the Humber

Chantry Chapel of St Mary the Virgin, Wakefield

Norman & medievalFree admission♿ Wheelchair accessible

Chantry Chapel of St Mary the Virgin, Wakefield — Grade I listed church in Wakefield, West Yorkshire, England, UK.

Chantry Chapel of St Mary the Virgin, Wakefield, historic churches in Yorkshire & the Humber

Wikimedia Commons contributors — see linked file page for photographer and licence licence

Plan your visit

Typical visit
30 min–1 h
Nearest railway station
Wakefield Kirkgate · 0.2 km
  • Free entry
  • Wheelchair accessible

About

Chantry Chapel of St Mary the Virgin, Wakefield is a historic church in the United Kingdom. Records date its origin to 1350. Heritage designation: Grade I listed building. Affiliated with Anglicanism. Wikidata describes it as: "Grade I listed church in Wakefield, West Yorkshire, England, UK". Coordinates: 53.6767°, -1.4894°.

Photo gallery

Heritage listing

The Chantry Chapel of St Mary the Virgin is a chantry chapel in Wakefield, West Yorkshire, England, and is designated a Grade I Listed building by Historic England. It is located south of the city centre on the medieval Chantry Bridge over the River Calder. It is the only survivor of four chantries in Wakefield and the oldest and most ornate of the surviving bridge chapels in England. Others are at St Ives (Cambridgeshire), Rotherham, Derby and Bradford-on-Avon. The chapel has had three west fronts, the original medieval façade having been removed to Kettlethorpe Hall in 1832.

From the Historic England List Entry under OGL v3.

From the Wikipedia article

The Chantry Chapel of St Mary the Virgin is a chantry chapel in Wakefield, West Yorkshire, England, and is designated a Grade I Listed building by Historic England. It is located south of the city centre on the medieval Chantry Bridge over the River Calder. It is the only survivor of four chantries in Wakefield and the oldest and most ornate of the surviving bridge chapels in England. Others are at St Ives (Cambridgeshire), Rotherham, Derby and Bradford-on-Avon. The chapel has had three west fronts, the original medieval façade having been removed to Kettlethorpe Hall in 1832. The medieval bridge is a scheduled ancient monument.

Excerpt from Wikipedia under CC BY-SA 4.0. See the source article linked in Sources below.

Background

History

]] Wakefield had four chantry chapels, three of which dated from the 13th century. They were built outside the medieval town on the roads leading to Leeds, Dewsbury, York and Doncaster. The Chantry of St John the Baptist was on Northgate, the road to Leeds, where Wakefield Grammar School stands today. The Chapel of St Mary Magdalene was on Westgate where it crossed the Ings Beck on the road to Dewsbury. St Swithun's Chantry Chapel, on the York road, was near Clarke Hall. In the 14th century the Chantry Chapel of St Mary the Virgin was built on the medieval bridge across the River Calder on the road to Doncaster and the south. Wakefield's medieval nine-arched bridge is 320 ft long, was built…

Architecture

The chapel which projects to the east side of the bridge is built into on a small island in the river and its base is a structural element of the bridge.

Sourced from Wikipedia under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Coordinates
53.6767, -1.4894
District
Wakefield
Parish
Wakefield, unparished area
Postcode
WF1 5DL
Parliamentary constituency
Wakefield and Rothwell
Established
1350
Nearest railway station
Wakefield Kirkgate0.2 km

Sources

Other places nearby

Loading nearby places…

Nearby

Other places from this era

More places in this region

Frequently asked questions

Where is Chantry Chapel of St Mary the Virgin, Wakefield?
Chantry Chapel of St Mary the Virgin, Wakefield is in Yorkshire, United Kingdom (postcode WF1 5DL), in the parish of Wakefield, unparished area.
When was Chantry Chapel of St Mary the Virgin, Wakefield built?
Built or established in 1350.
Is Chantry Chapel of St Mary the Virgin, Wakefield a listed building?
Chantry Chapel of St Mary the Virgin, Wakefield is officially recognised as Grade I listed building listed.
Is Chantry Chapel of St Mary the Virgin, Wakefield free to visit?
Yes, Chantry Chapel of St Mary the Virgin, Wakefield is free to enter.
How do I get to Chantry Chapel of St Mary the Virgin, Wakefield?
The nearest railway station is Wakefield Kirkgate, about 0.2 km away. Drivers can navigate to postcode WF1 5DL.