Exploring Sandham Memorial Chapel and almshouses

Visitors inside Sandham Memorial Chapel, Hampshire — Visitors inside Sandham Memorial Chapel | © National Trust Images/Virginia Langer

Sandham Memorial Chapel is home to arguably the most important series of paintings by the modern British artist, Stanley Spencer who wanted to express his military experience during 'The Great War' in paint. Find out about the paintings that line the chapel walls, and the almshouses which host exhibitions. Services continue to run throughout the year.

The 19 oil paintings that cover three walls of the chapel took six years to complete and are considered by many to be artist Stanley Spencer's finest achievement. With the chapel built to honour the 'forgotten dead' of the First World War, who weren’t remembered on official memorials, the series of artwork was inspired by Spencer’s own wartime experiences as a medical orderly at the Beaufort Hospital in Bristol and both orderly and soldier on the Salonika front.

The paintings are striking in that they largely depict everyday routine rather than the horror of combat. Spencer’s initial posting as a medical orderly instilled in him a sense that the everyday and the menial could bring him closer to God. His wartime service took him to Macedonia where he continued service as a medical orderly and later as an infantryman.

Sorting the Laundry by Sir Stanley Spencer — Sorting the Laundry | © National Trust / John Hammond

At Beaufort Hospital

The following paintings depict scenes inspired by Spencer's time at Beaufort Hospital in Bristol. In Convoy Arriving with the Wounded, Spencer found his early experiences at Beaufort harrowing, as depicted in this scene featuring the huge gates that greeted him at Beaufort Hospital in Bristol. In Scrubbing the Floor a shell-shocked soldier lies prostrate in a dark hospital passageway. In Moving Kit Bags the orderlies take the injured soldiers’ bags to their wards while Ablutions depicts hair washing, drying and dressing wounds. In Sorting the Laundry a matronly figure oversees the sorting of sheets and handkerchiefs while everyday activities continue in Filling Tea Urns.

Detail from The resurrection of the soldiers by Stanley Spencer (1891- 1959) on the east wall at Sandham Memorial Chapel, Burghclere, Hampshire — The Resurrection of the Soldiers by Sir Stanley Spencer | © National Trust Images/John Hammond

Going to war

Tweseldown Camp (above Sorting the Laundry) near Farnham in Kit Inspection is where Spencer underwent training before being posted to Macedonia. The Resurrection behind the altar, together with the two arched pictures either side (Dug Out and Reveille), form a triptych which moves the action to Macedonia. Dug Out, to the left, shows soldiers looking with hope up to The Resurrection. It is the only painting hinting at the horror of the war. In Reveille, opposite, we see soldiers announcing to others that the war is over. The Resurrection shows fallen soldiers reunited, having climbed out of their graves, some of whom continue with their everyday routines. There is also the hidden surprise of Watership Down at the top left providing symmetry to the views from the chapel across the Hampshire countryside. Along the right-hand wall are many references to malaria; in Frostbite an orderly scrapes a man's feet, while in Reveille mosquitoes buzz at the top of the tent. In Bed Making, a figure, possibly Spencer, tries to keep warm wrapped in an eiderdown with his feet on a hot water bottle. The heat and lighter palette of the Macedonian countryside are seen in Filling Water Bottles. In Map Reading the men are seen gorging on juicy bilberries while the officer pores over his map. The final arched painting, Fire Belt, shows a protective barrier being created around the camp.

Tea in the Hospital Ward by Sir Stanley Spencer. Painting in Sandham Memorial Chapel, Hampshire — Tea in the Hospital Ward by Sir Stanley Spencer | © National Trust Images/John Hammond

Everyday life

Before returning to Beaufort, lift your eyes to the camp site paintings (Camp at Karasuli and Todorovo), which cover the top left and right walls above the arches, depicting washing clothes, making tea, cooking bacon, tidying, building a road, clearing streams and playing games. Back at Beaufort, in Tea on the Ward, we see piles of bread and jam, which was Spencer’s favourite food. In Bed Making, possibly a medley of memories from Macedonia, Bristol and even Cookham, Spencer has included family photographs above the bed. Finally, in Washing Lockers, set again at Beaufort, is depicted the huge magenta baths and a figure (perhaps Spencer) hiding between them to find personal space.

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Try our audio tour

When you visit, you might like to listen to our audio tour to give you an introduction to the paintings created by our volunteers, visitors and experts. Please remember to bring your headphones with you, and start the podcast just before your enter the chapel. Length: 9 minutes.

Click here to download the tour before you visit

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Influences and patrons

The chapel, which was inspired by Giotto’s Arena Chapel in Padua, was paid for by the patrons and collectors John Louis and Mary Behrend. The Behrends later dedicated the chapel to Mary’s brother, Harry Sandham, who had died in 1920, shortly after returning from active service. You can find a memorial to Harry Sandham above the main chapel doors.

The almshouses

Adjoining the chapel are two almshouses previously occupied from the 1930s. Following a restoration project, one of the almshouses was recreated to represent that era using original colour schemes and products appropriate to the period. It houses an exhibition space over three rooms with descriptive panels, interactive tablets, facsimile archive material and a short film.