St. Aldhelm's Chapel, St. Aldhelm's Head
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St. Aldhelm’s Chapel, St. Aldhelm’s Head is a small Norman chapel prominently placed so that it is a distinctive feature from the sea. It may have been deliberately designed to be a warning to sailors of the dangerous rocks in the race below. Its origins are obscure. One theory is that it was erected by an early king while residing at Corfe Castle. Long ago the chapel was served by a royal chaplain. Another theory, expounded in the guide book, is that it was built in 1140 by a sorrowing father following the ship wreck of his daughter and her bridegroom on the rocks below. [1] [2]
The inside of the chapel is dark being lit by a single window in the thick walls. The roof is supported by a single thick pillar. There is ancient graffiti etched into its surface. Young romantics are said to leave a pin in the wall and mentally make a wish (Ward Lock’s, p37).
[edit] External Links
http://www.isleofpurbeck.com/aldhelms.html
[edit] References
- ^ Day, Michael. (no date). Worth Matravers, (St. Aldhelm’s Chapel). (online). Dorset Churches. Available from: http://people.bath.ac.uk/lismd/dorset/churches/st-aldhelm.html (Accessed 21 February 2008).
- ^ Ward Lock’s Illustrated Guidebooks. (no date). Swanage and South Dorset: Illustrated Guide Books. (Twelfth edition). London: Ward, Locke and Co. Ltd.
