Underley Hall Chapel, Kirby Lonsdale
April 27, 2011 Filed under: 1960s, Culture, Education by Sanna Fisher-Payne 5 comments
The story begins on Euston Station, where George Grenfell Baines (GGB) got into the Preston train and sat next to a stranger who it transpired was the RC Bishop of Lancaster. By the time the train got to Preston, he had secured the commission. Even for GGB this was remarkable!
Underley Hall was a seminary for training priests.
It is probably the last building, unquestionably designed by Bill White, who was a devout RC – before he became almost totally absorbed in administering the firm and, in my view it is one of his best. I joined Grenfell Baines in 1955 and worked with ‘WW’ from my first day – I found his approach to design a revelation – and regard him as one of my mentors.
The plan is a beautifully clear statement and typical of Bill’s ability to analyse and rationalise a problem. (Like a number of us he did a personal entry for the Liverpool RC Cathedral competition and I can well remember the clarity of his plan) The elevations at Underley, are heavily modelled inside and out and the walls are faced in a split block. I believe cost militated against the use of stone.
The building was ‘discovered’ by Nikolaus Pevsner on his travels for (I think) the Westmoreland volume of the ‘Buildings of England’ series. He was very enthusiastic about the design and published it in the Architectural Review of which I think he was then an editor. Underley Hall closed as a seminary a long time ago. Nowadays, I believe it is at least partly used as a school. From the evidence of Google Earth, the chapel still exists, but whether it is a part of the school I’m unsure.
Peter Cathcart
April 29, 2012
I was a pupil at Underley Hall from September 1964 to July 1969. The chapel was being built when I arrived and opened in 1965. At the time, just after the Second Vatican Council, the plain stark altar was something of a revelation. It worked very well and the acoustics were excellent – very useful as we did a lot of singing in the chapel. The sunday morning service on BBC Radio 4 was broadcast from there in 1968 or 1969.
A great shame the building is no longer what it was.
kasii rawlins
April 27, 2012
actually the chapel has been turned into a gym now for PE
Malcolm Taylor
November 15, 2011
May I add a postscript to Sid Tasker’s excellent history of the Underley School chapel? The scheme was being designed when I joined Preston office in 1964 and was the first to indicate high quality design in the making. Ted Willan, as the contract manager revealed many of its technical qualities (and of the salmon he poached from the nearby River Lune). Underley Hall itself is a rather dull Victorian building so it was surprsing that the adjacent chapel, built in split concrete bocks went so well with it. But, I agree, it was (and still is) a gem. When the Hall became a special school, for obvious reasons it, and its ancillary buildings became out of bounds and I used to wonder what happened to the chapel. I tried to get it listed, without success. .
However, recently I approached the school to ask if I could visit the chapel. Permission was (slighly reluctantly) granted and in fact I took round a small party of architectural enthusiasts.who, not knowing of its existence were fascinated. While the building is being fairly well maintained, it seems to be an embarrassment to the school, and as a store, has been partitioned, so the sense of space no longer exists.However, there are wistful remains of Bill’s interior detailing.We were not allowed to take photographs.
It is a great pity that the public have not been allowed to visit this beautiful building for so many years, and I feel for its future. Its roof is just visible from Ruskin’s View, next to Kirkby Lonsdale churchyard
tom
June 21, 2011
yes the chapel is still used by the school, or at least up untill 2003 it was when i left as one of the PE hall.
BDP
April 27, 2011
According to Continuity in Architecture (2009) the chapel still exists as part of Underley Hall School.
More photos can be found in this set Underley Hall Chapel & Refectory on Flickr.