Wednesday 16th March 2005
The Chapel of St. Laurence in the High Street, Warminster, is peculiar by name and peculiar by nature. However, it is in good company.
A peculiar church is one that operates outside of the Church of England control. St. Laurence’s in Warminster is one such church, as is Westminster Abbey, London, and St. George’s Chapel, Windsor.
St. Laurence’s Chapel in Warminster dates back to the 13th century and in 1575 was bought by the people of Warminster for £38 6s. 8d.
An indenture was drawn up in 1592, appointing 12 trustees, who were called feoffees, to look after the chapel. This system has been kept up until the present day, and the current feoffees now meet three or four times a year.
Geoffrey Tout, who is 81, and lives at Heronslade, Boreham Road, Warminster, has been a feoffee for 35 years. He has compiled a history of the chapel. He said: “St. Laurence is the only church in Warminster that is open every day. It is a refuge space for the town.”
Anyone, of any denomination, can enter and pray in the chapel, and a Sunday service is held once a month. The chapel has pew space for between 60 and 70 people.
The fact that it is still a focal point for the citizens of Warminster was highlighted when people placed many wreaths outside the chapel to mark the death of Diana, Princess of Wales.
Mr. Tout said: “St. Laurence’s Chapel is part of the history of Warminster. You only have to look at the visitors’ book. It is our responsibility as feoffees to make sure that the chapel keeps up with the times.”
The clock in the tower of the chapel will soon be updated. Feoffee David Pollard has masterminded a plan to do this, funded by Warminster Town Council and the Five Towns Initiative.
Mr. Pollard has already restored all of the public clocks in Warminster, and has written a book on the subject which highlights the greatest Warminster clockmaker of them all, Edward Cockey.
The clock at St. Laurence’s Chapel will be attended to in the next month and the cost will be £6,000.
Chairman of the feoffees, Mr. Philip Howard, of Highbury Park, Warminster, says: “It is our principle that St. Laurence’s Chapel will always be open for people to come in and pray.”