Oxhey Chapel

The chapel was built in 1612 by Sir James Altham as a private chapel for his family and staff who lived nearby at Oxhey Place. It is probably on the site of an earlier monastic church. In 1649 during the Civil War following the Battle of Uxbridge, it was used by Cromwell's Parliamentary forces as a store and a barracks. The chapel was used for worship until 1799, but after that it was used for storage. In 1852 it was restored for T. Estcourt to be used again for worship by those living in the nearby hamlet. The whitewash was removed from the reredos, and the old pews and pulpit were replaced. In 1897 vestries were added, the windows were restored and the pews were rearranged in collegiate…

The chapel contains a double row of stalls facing each other in collegiate fashion. The west door is surrounded by a doorcase consisting of carved Corinthian pilasters and an entablature. The reredos contains two twisted Solomonic columns framing panels containing the Ten Commandments, and outside them are panels with the Lord's Prayer and the Creed. At the top of the reredos is an open pediment enclosing a flaming urn. Above the central panels is a cartouche, and over the side panels are smaller closed pediments. The sanctuary is paved with black and white marble. The roof is in five bays. The wooden font dates from the 17th century. It has an octagonal base, a richly carved circular bowl,…