Although there are many grand and impressive things to see in London, there are also many quietly fascinating places to discover, as well. I specifically wanted to do one of Look Up London‘s walking tours because she has the best eye for finding that hidden history. This discovery was all thanks to her- Guy’s Chapel. If you were walking by, you probably wouldn’t give it a second thought. However, the Chapel of Thomas Guy is the perfect respite from a busy day and an interesting bit of hidden history in the heart of Southwark!
If you recall from my Saucy Southwark post, we wandered past Guy’s Hospital. Guy owned several stocks in the South Sea Company, a company that provided nearly 5,000 slaves annually to Spanish plantations for nearly 30 years. Being that he made a significant profit off of the South Sea Company before the bubble burst (literally), he wanted to do something to help the community. And thus, he built Guy’s Hospital in the early 1720s to support the incurables (aka “lunatics”) of Southwark. Today it is a teaching hospital, and a large one at that.
Guy’s Chapel
**As of June 2020, there have been calls to rename Guy’s Chapel, because of his close connections to the slave trade. It has not been renamed yet, but that may happen in the months and years to come.
The chapel is marked by the cross (of course) and the blue door. However, if you weren’t looking for it, you very well may miss it. I think that we tend to forget about hospital chapels, as they tend to be a standard room nowadays, instead of a purpose built chapel. To paraphrase Shakespeare (a Southwark regular), though it be little it be fierce. It is a small chapel, but still quite gorgeous.
Although I love stained glass windows as much as any historian, I loved the mosaics in the chapel. You don’t see them nearly as often as stained glass, and they allow for more detailed illustrations. It is clear that while it is a small chapel, a lot of attention and thought has been paid to it. Any member of King’s College London can use the Chapel of Thomas Guy for their spiritual needs, and you can pop in if you find yourself nearby.
And what would a chapel be without a tomb? Of course, in the Chapel of Thomas Guy it is Sir Thomas Guy’s tomb. And I’ve got to say, as far as tombs go, it is fairly impressive. I mean, I know we all see elaborate tombs lining the aisles of cathedrals, but this is spectacular. (And that is without factoring in how small the chapel is…) The epitaph is pretty much what you would expect of the founder of a hospital, but it is quite lengthy. The carving work is also superb. (The mood lighting helps…)
Have you ever found yourself in the Chapel of Thomas Guy?
Cheers,
The Historian
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