Eton College
A short tour - page 2
I can see the roof and east spires of the College Chapel from our flat windows; it is an impressive
building. Construction was started around 1450 but was not completed until 1482. Henry VI was
deposed by Edward IV in 1461 and work ceased on the Chapel. The College itself almost sank into
oblivion when its land grants were annulled and all it's other physical holdings were transferred to St
George's in Windsor. Salvation came when Jane Shore, Edward's mistress, interceded and persuaded
Edward to restore some of the College's land. In the early 1470's the Chapel was still missing part of
its roof and the nave had not been built. A former Provost of the College, Bishop Waynflete, paid to
have the roof completed and to finish the west end of the Chapel by having the Antechapel ( 1479 - 82) built.
Henry's original plans called for a much larger, longer building which would have been one of the
grandest churches in the country. The Chapel, as it stands now, is still a marvelous structure and, as
quoted from the Eton College web site, ".. a fine example of the Perpendicular Gothic style, noble in its
unity and simplicity of design... "
Eton College Chapel, (Antechapel at west end on the left)
Eton College Chapel, looking towards the east end.
Memorial to Bishop Waynflete on Antechapel wall facing the Long Walk & Eton High Street
