History

William Wynard was the Lawyer of Exeter. He served for forty years from 1404. He established his “God’s House” Almshouses within a Trust on 20 January 1436. The population of Exeter at the time was around 5,000 (circa 3,000 tax payers).

Wynard’s Almshouses was set up to house “a priest and twelve infirm or poor men” and included the Chapel. The charity was designed and funded to ensure that it would continue in perpetuity – and it did. It lasted over five centuries. 

A plaque inscribed in Latin in the Chapel dedicated to William states:

This new structure, incorporating dwellings

May it continue for a long time to come

It was built for the weak and

For the poor, not for the wealthy

The House was built

He who founded it, endowed it, and

Perpetuated it, we believe with this endowment

That he washed away everything

The builder of his country

The honour of this one

And he will do everything and will continue

Within his powers to deliver it’s security and success

The recorder Wynards called Willliam

Let this be the House of God

And not considered mine

So let that House of God be baptized

In 1430 the eighth year of the reign of Henry VI

During the English Civil War of 1642, two hundred years later, the residents were left unpaid, while the almshouses were reported to have suffered damage. In 1654, Sir George Speke MP, then the owner, retained the income, but refused to uphold the charitable purpose or rebuild the damaged buildings. He was eventually ordered to renovate. 

Prime Minister Lord North (1732-1792) married Anne Speke, heiress of the Spekes’ in 1756 and the Wynards estate passed to them. Lord North is most famous as the British Prime Minister who governed during the American Revolutionary Wars. Holding office from 1770 to 1782, he is famously remembered as the leader who "lost America", overseeing the Boston Tea (Party) Acts and the resulting Declaration of Independence. Despite this he was known as a talented and humorous parliamentarian for over a decade. 

A town plan of 1744, shows that the almshouses consisted of two simple terraces facing each other (the sides of the courtyard). With a large allotment plus toilets to the north. The Chapel occupied the south-east corner. 

Sometime in the late 18th century the “northern arm” of the courtyard was built. In 1789, the estate was purchased from Lord North by William Kennaway, a wealthy Exeter wine merchant with the Chapel slated for the use of his family. The buildings were eventually restored comprehensively by William’s son, GEORGE GLASS KENNAWAY.  He fully refurbished them in 1857 and spent £5m on a magnificent rebuild including refurbishing the Chapel. All of the buildings were given a first class Victorian make-over. 

Harry Hems, the famous Exeter wood and stone sculptor carved the Chapel pews, wood and stone features. He also installed the forty amazing curved roof trusses and painted ceiling bosses. The Chapel architect was David Mackintosh. The bell tower was also installed plus the entire lower cloister access passage giving access to the Crypt from Magdalen Street. 

At this time the courtyard entrance was also moved from through the existing Chapel lobby to a brand new building slightly westwards. This new building was the Vicar's house plus two new cottages (now No's 1 & 9) creating the grand entrance plus archway that you see today.

The elements of Wynards which date from 1437 are most of the walls of the Chapel plus the central “Rood or Chancel Arch”. This is almost 600 years old and has witnessed 29 English Kings and Queens, latterly King Charles III in September 2022.

By 1914 each resident was still receiving 2 shillings a week from the trust almost five hundred years after creation. The almshouses eventually came under the control of the Exeter Municipal Charity in the 1940’s, who made some improvements, such as indoor toilets. After the Charity applied to demolish it, the whole complex was listed in 1953. The Charity is still operational and controls 8 almshouse sites in Exeter.

Eventually the buildings were bought by Exeter Council for £5,373.18 from the EMC to create a "Welfare Complex" which occupied them from 1970-2000. They were subsequently sold to Charles Ellis housing developers who converted them into nine small cottages in 2002. 

The pair of chapel bells were removed when they became unstable and are now secured and on display in the cloister. They were made by “The Whitechapel Foundry” which cast Big Ben two years later. The frescoed east wall around the altar was painted by the  Alfred Beer in 1856 who also designed the southern stained-glass windows dedicated to the Kennaway Family. The superb eastern and northern stained-glass windows were designed and made by Hardman’s of Birmingham led by the famous Augustus Pugin Architect. They have been described as “the finest specimen of their kind in the city”. Hardman's most famous windows can be seen in the Houses of Parliament. 

The Worrell's have extensively refurbished the Chapel. They created the Worrell Chapel Trust to preserve the Chapel for future generations in 2024.