The Chapel is a meeting place for independent minds, home to a diverse programme of social, creative, educational and religious events that enable people of all ages to come together to experience this unique setting.
There is a lively seasonal programme of musical and literary performance, from early music to youth group choirs, from spoken word to operatic arias, with local and internationally-acclaimed artists.
Recent events have featured musicians Laura Cannell, Polly Wright, early music specialists Loki Music, The Waveney Valley Brass Ensemble, Lowestoft-based youth choir Group A, opera singer Rob Gildon, and international jazz and blues singer Melissa James. The spoken word also continues to resonate in the Chapel today, from poetry to author-readings of contemporary classics. Performers have included Helen Macdonald, Julia Blackburn and Lucy Hughes-Hallett, alongside successful annual collaborations with local organisations such as the Suffolk Poetry Society.
Workshops and artist residencies are enabling new site-specific works to be created in response to this evocative setting. In 2018, London-based ensemble Chroma produced Awakening in collaboration with Snape Maltings, after a successful week-long residency at the Chapel. New residency projects are in development for 2021.
The Chapel holds two ecumenical services annually and remains a place of worship and religious ceremony. It is available for celebrations, commemorations, memorial events and dedications. The Chapel can be
hired for weddings and blessings and is licensed for same sex marriages. The chapel is open to visitors on Saturdays from 2pm – 4:30pm from April – September.
It was with deep regret that we were forced to cancel our 2020 summer season programme in the COVID-19 pandemic. Our annual candlelit Christmas service of carols, lessons and readings on 21 December 2020 will also not take place this year.
We share in the disappointment this has caused for visitors, hirers, performers, volunteers, Friends of Walpole Old Chapel and the local committee alike, and we look forward to welcoming everyone back when the Chapel is able to reopen safely in 2021.
