William Cawley's Almshouse Anniversary celebation

Last year saw the 400th anniversary of the founding by William Cawley of his almshouse in Northgate, and 2026 sees the 400th anniversary of the consecration of its chapel which is being marked on Monday 24 August.

As well as being a philanthropist, William Cawley is also notorious for having been one of the signatories to the death warrant for King Charles I, earning him the local epithet "Cawley the Regicide". He fled the country at the Restoration and died in Switzerland, but it is possible that his body was brought back in secret and is one of the three such discovered under the floor of the chapel. From 1681 to 1930 the buildings served as the Chichester Workhouse, then from 1936 to 2001 as part of the hospital laundry. Despite all these changes the tiny chapel, dedicated to St Bartholomew, retains its charming 17C interior and is a delight.

Organised by the Friends of St Barholomew's Chapel