This small Norman chapel at Steetley, not far from Worksop (although it falls under the parish of Whitwell), is a place I’ve photographed before. I found the place by accident one day while out on a hike, and it was a pleasant surprise to find such a nice building when I wasn’t expecting to. I had a few frames left on this roll of Kodak Gold film and decided to re-visit the chapel to use them up.
The building dates back to the 12th century and has seen its share of history, from the Great Plague, when the population served by the chapel was completely wiped out causing the building to fall into disrepair, the roof collapsing in the process. It was the scene of a skirmish during the English Civil War during the 17th century, and apparently there are still musket-ball holes visible in the masonry (although I didn’t spot these).
The fortunes of the chapel lifted when the coal industry rose in the 19th century, the restoration of the chapel being completed in 1880.
The door to the chapel was unlocked when I visited on this occasion and I was able to explore inside. Unfortunately 200ASA film is not the best choice for the interior of a dimly lit chapel, and the slightly faint patch on the rangefinder of my Olympus 35RC didn’t help the situation, but I was still able to take this rather nice picture of the sunlight pouting through one of the stained-glass windows. I’m very happy with this photo.
Olympus 35 RC & Kodak Gold 200. Lab developed. Home scanned and converted with Negative Lab Pro.
Taken on 9 July 2022
Steel City Snapper photography 