• Current Conservation And Development Projects
  • South East Transept
  • The Corona Chapel
  • Choir House
  • Conservation - Stonemasons

The Corona Chapel

The Corona Chapel is a unique, almost perfectly circular structure, built by the monks of Christchurch Priory in the 12th century. The intention was to construct a chapel above what is now the roof to house the top of Becket's severed skull.  It was to be the most sacred part of the medieval church.
The work was abandoned due to lack of funds and has never been completed. Stone pinnacles at the top, known as Becket's Crown were constructed in the 1930s and replaced earlier 17th century masonry.

The current project involves the cleaning, selective replacement and conservation of all the exterior stonework of the Corona Chapel. It is hoped that the work will be completed in just over 4 years, but as with all conservation work, it is difficult to predict with accuracy the amount of work necessary in advance of the scaffolding being erected to allow a thorough investigation. Much of the original stone was mined near the city of Caen in northern France. The replacement stone is also sourced from France and is known as Lepine. It is worked largely by hand, using traditional methods handed down from one generation to the next.