Friends of the Guild Chapel
Stratford upon Avon
The Chapel and Guild of the Holy Cross
The story begins in 1269, when one of Stratford’s religious guilds, the Guild of the Holy Cross, obtained permission to build a hospital in the town for poor priests of the diocese. The chancel of the Guild Chapel incorporates portions of the original building which, within a few years was taken over by the Guild for it’s own use, both for meetings of members, and a place where priests could say prayers for the safety of members’ souls when they died.
The Guild prospered during the fifteenth century, building a new guild hall, a school and almshouses for the aged and infirm members. In the 1490’s, Hugh Clopton, a native of the town who had made his fortune as a mercer in London, left money in his will for major rebuilding work on the chapel, represented today by the nave, tower and porch. At the same time the interior was lavishly decorated with wall-
The Guild was suppressed at the reformation and its extensive property, including the chapel, confiscated by the Crown until granted, in 1553 to the newly chartered Corporation of Stratford-
