The Chapel of St Nicholas in Cholmondeley Castle’s gardens and park

The Chapel of St Nicholas on the Cholmondeley Castle estate

If you visit Cholmondeley Castle Gardens be sure not to miss the chapel dedicated to St Nicholas. I was at the Castle Gardens with a friend for the Summer Plant Fair during the week, and we took in the lovely gardens and the chapel at the same time. I have posted about the gardens, with a map, on a previous post here, but at that time I was unaware of the chapel, so it was lovely to see the signs pointing visitors towards it, and to stroll along the lane for a visit.

Cholmondeley Castle, built 1801-c.1830, replacing the 1571 half-timbered Tudor building

Following the signs you will pass through the former gatehouse, and over a delicious little stone bridge before you eventually reach the chapel, around 15 minutes from the main gardens along a traffic-free lane.

The gatehouse

Looking back at the elegant bridge towards the Lodge

One of the views from the bridge

Across the parched fields on the way to the chapel

Looking across the sun-parched Capability Brown style estate on the way to the chapel, actually executed by one of the famous park designer’s followers, William Emes, who was successful in his own right

One of the ornamental gates into the chapel precinct, and the equally ornate banisters of the chapel, gently echoing the elaborate front gates leading into the castle.

The red-brick chapel with its slate roof looks typically Georgian, but according to Historic England it was originally late 15th century, was altered internally in 1655 and the exterior was rebuilt in brick in 1717. The transepts were added in 1829. Pevsner and Hubbard say that the 17th century furnishings are “the most complete of their date in Cheshire,” with the chancel screen dating to 1655, and elaborate Elizabethan-Jacobean style of wood panelling in the chancel with plenty of ornamental strapwork. The small stained glass roundels in the windows are from the Netherlands, again probably dating to the 17th century. The Cholmondeley family pew, a remarkable feature with a staircase leading up to it and surrounded on three sides by highly coloured hatchments, is at the west end of the chapel, facing to the chancel in the east, looking down over both congregation and high altar. Humility was obviously not perceived as a fundamental requirement. Box pews and ordinary pews sit mainly at floor level, with one paired set of box pews being a little above the rest but far below the level of the Cholmondeley family pew in front of which it sits. The whole thing is truly extraordinary.
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Chapel interior showing the raised family pew

Chancel roof

Chancel

Box pews

If you want to know more about the history of the house, the chapel and the family there are interpretation boards hanging on the wall to one side of the door. A shame that it hasn’t been turned into a leaflet, because a lot of people wanted to see them and it was impossible to fit everyone in behind the pews where they are hanging on hinges on the wall.

Dovecote spotted on the way back to the gardens from the chapel

The parkland was looking very dry, but although a few of the plants in the gardens were suffering from the drought, overall the garden team have done a marvellous job of maintaining the flowering borders, the rock garden and the rose gardens. The levels of water in the ornamental ponds were surprisingly high, and the water lilies and surrounding water-loving species were very fine and lush.

I was amazed that neither of us came away with any of the tempting and very reasonably priced plants for sale in the Plant Fair area along the long edge of the field acting as a car park, with a great selection including some very unusual specimens, many of which would have been very suitable for the drought conditions currently being experienced. Most visitors there were draped in every possible type of foliage, which they were taking back to their cars before visiting the gardens. It reminded me of the witches’ prophecy that “Macbeth shall never vanquished be until Great Birnam Wood to high Dunsinane Hill shall come against him.” There was also a small selection of decorative garden features for sale, and of course there were several food, drink and ice cream outlets. Keep an eye out next year if you missed it this year.