Sandham Memorial Chapel, Burghclere

Our first visit took us to Sandham Memorial Chapel in Burghclere. This National Trust property was commissioned by John Louis and Mary Behrend in the 1920s to accommodate a series of paintings by Stanley Spencer, with whom they had become good friends and patrons. Spencer admired early Italian Renaissance works of art, in particular Giotto’s Scrovegni Chapel in Padua which he described as a ‘Holy Box’. After the First World War, Spencer expressed a desire to create his own holy box in memory of the war where he could record his own experiences and emotions. The Behrends made this possible by commissioning the chapel as an artistic outlet for Stanley Spencer. The war memorial was dedicated to Lieutenant Henry Willoughby Sandham, Mary Behrend’s brother who died in 1919 of an illness he contracted during the Macedonian campaign. At the time this was not seen as a death in the line of duty and Sandham, along with many other nameless and forgotten soldiers, were omitted from any subsequent memorials. The chapel’s paintings took six years to complete, and act as a poignant reminder and a touching tribute to the sacrifice made by previously overlooked soldiers.

Walking into Sandham Memorial Chapel through the double doors you are immediately treated to a visual feast. Nineteen painted scenes drawn from Spencer’s own experiences during World War One where he served as an orderly with the Royal Army Medical Corps - both in Beaufort War Hospital Bristol and later with the infantry in Macedonia - immediately envelop the viewer, transporting them right back to the war years of the early 20th century.

The scenes of everyday life experienced by many fighting soldiers include lugging kit bags and setting up camp, dressing under mosquito nets, and being treated for frostbite. Spencer manages to portray a sense of hope and comfort through daily routines and keeping busy; logging the linen in the laundry room, a moment’s peace between large red bath-tubs, or jam and butter on white bread for recuperating soldiers.

Perhaps the most powerful scene of all is the largest of the works, painted across the entire wall behind the altar – the Resurrection scene. Here the forgotten dead, those who made the ultimate sacrifice but were never recognised by the later war memorials, are depicted rising from their white-cross graves, shaking hands and making their way up to Christ who sits high at the centre. We assume that one of these figures would be Lieutenant Henry Willoughby Sandham.

The Stanley Spencer Gallery, Cookham

After the experience of the Sandham Memorial Chapel we continue to the Stanley Spencer Gallery in the heart Cookham. The gallery hosts a series of fantastic exhibitions, with two every year. At the heart of these exhibitions is always Stanley Spencer's work, whilst also exploring wider themes, looking at different historical and cultural subjects, as well as how Spencer influenced other artists, both historical and contemporary.

The gallery is housed in the former Methodist Chapel, where Stanley worshipped as a child. When the chapel officially closed in 1904, Spencer was deeply affected as the chapel had brought him a space of great spiritual calm. The building was converted for reading and recreation for village residents and even a life drawing class which was suggested by Spencer. After his death the chapel was converted into a studio for the artist and friend of Spencer, Faith Gibbon. It was then the Stanley Spencer Memorial Trust who decided that it would be the perfect venue for the Stanley Spencer Gallery. Whilst the Tate holds the largest collection of works by Spencer, the gallery holds the largest collection of his works on display at any one time, along with his archives and personal objects, such as his palette and brushes and a pram which he used to carry his equipment around Cookham village. Spencer usually wore pyjamas under his suit, along with a sign asking people to politely respect his wishes to not disturb him whilst he was at work.

As a young boy his father read the bible to him, and he called this ‘paradise’. However, Cookham was his ‘earthly paradise’ and the great significance he attached to Cookham stayed with Spencer throughout his career. In his work, Spencer often based his figures on real people from the village and used everyday scenes to create visionary and imagined parts of Cookham. He would visualise events in the bible taking place in Cookham as this anchored these stories in reality.

He studied at the Slade School of Fine Art, London from 1908-1912 under tutor Henry Tonks. His contemporaries included renowned artists such as David Bomberg, Paul Nash and Mark Gertler. Whilst at the Slade, Spencer surrounded himself with a group known as the ‘Neo-Primitives’. He became extremely interested in early Italian religious paintings from Giotto to Piero della Francesca and the colours used by French Impressionists, such as Paul Gaugin.  

Spencer returned to Cookham in 1918 after serving in the war. All Spencer’s later work, after the war can be seen as an attempt either to recapture his childhood emotions or to come to terms with present day reality.

Visiting the area

Next time you come to Donnington Priory, why not make a day of it and venture out to Sandham Memorial Chapel and Cookham? 

Visiting Sandham Memorial Chapel

Harts Lane, Burghclere, near Newbury, Hampshire RG20 9JT

Opening times:
Wednesday - Sunday: 11am-3pm (summer)
Thursday - Sunday: 11am-3pm (winter - closed from mid-November & December)

Prices:
Adult: £11 | £12.10 (with Gift Aid)
Child (5-17): £5.50 | £6.10 (with Gift Aid)
Under 5s: Free
Family (2 Adults and up to 3 Children): £27.50 | £30.30 (with Gift Aid)
One Adult Family: £16.50 | £18.20 (with Gift Aid)

Enquiries: +44 (0) 1635 278 394 | sandham@nationaltrust.org.uk
For more information

Visiting Stanley Spencer Gallery

16 High Street, Cookham, Berkshire SL6 9SJ

Opening times:
Every day: 10.30am-4.30pm (last entry 4pm)

Admission:
Adults: £7
Age 18 to 25 years: £3.50
Under 18: Free

Enquiries: +44 (0) 1628 531 092 | info@stanleyspencer.org.uk
For more information