The Chapel is a place of beauty and complements St Barnabas by being an alternative place of worship where services are based on the Book of Common Prayer.  It is a vital piece of Dulwich and London heritage, and its history is described more fully on a separate page.  Also it offers great scope for social and educational activities and there is an established programme of Chapel Events.  The Chapel is open to visitors every Tuesday afternoon and on other occasions see Chapel Events.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The regular pattern of services is
Holy Communion every Sunday at 8.00am
Morning Prayer every other Sunday at 10.00am
Evening Prayer every other Sunday at 6.30pm
Choral Evensong once a month instead of Evening Prayer
Dulwich College Choral Eucharist once per term at 10.30am
Dulwich College Choral Matins once per term at 10.30am
Dulwich College Choral Evensong at least once per term at 6.00pm

 

In addition to which there are 11 weddings scheduled for 2007, and several baptisms.

 

The calendar of Chapel Services for the next three months is listed on a separate page.

 

Christ's Chapel was consecrated in 1616 by George Abbot, Archbishop of Canterbury, as part of the Dulwich College foundation. The Elizabethan actor Edward Alleyn built his College of God's Gift on Dulwich Green as an act of thanksgiving to God for his talents as an actor and his ability in business. Since then it has been in use continually as a spiritual focus for the almshouses and three Dulwich Schools of the Foundation: Dulwich College, James Allen's Girls' School and Alleyn's School. You can read more about the history of Christ's Chapel.

 

The Chapel Organ dates from 1760 and was built by George England. This replaced the first one of
1618 built by Mr Gibbs of Powles and a second one built by George Dallam in 1669. The George
England organ is currently being restored by William Drake of Buckfastleigh, Devon. Much of the
original England pipework still remains. Between 1760 and the present day, additional work was
done by Lewis of Brixton in 1880, by Norman and Beard in 1908. It was cared for and added to by
Arthur Coombs, a Dulwich grocer in the 1940's. In 1969, Mander Organ Builders made more
modifications to the organ. As a result it became less like the original instrument. The current
project will restore the original conception and it is likely to be completed by 2008-2009. The organ
has a famous cornet stop which is reputed to be the oldest extant in the country. It also has a fine
Gothic case.

 

In addition to normal Sunday services where the emphasis is on congregational singing of the
hymns, psalms, canticles and responses, Choral Evensong, led by Christ's Chapel Chorale is sung
three times a year. The same choral group also leads the singing at the Good Friday and Christmas Eve services. Although singers come from well beyond the parish boundaries, anyone with good sight reading skills and experience is welcome to join in any of our services, both the musically more elaborate as well as the more congregational ones. Anyone interested in taking part should contact the Chapel Organist for more information.