This ancient chapel stands on the corner of Maidenburgh Street and St. Helen’s Lane. It is dedicated to St. Helena also known as St. Helen who is the patron saint of Colchester.
This site was originally at the stage end of the Roman Theatre which once stood here. Its outline can be seen shown by the black bricks in the road surface here and the ruins of the foundations can be seen in a building in Maidenburgh Street which I include a visit to on my “Colchester – The Oldest and Newest City” and “A Roman Roam Through Colchester” tours. Part of the foundations of the stage can be seen in the base of the chapel’s northeast corner.
It is made of recycled Roman materials including tiles and Septaria. It was built within the ruined walls of the Roman theatre sometime in 8th, 9th or 10th century. It was old when the Norman's arrived as Eudo Dapifer, who was William the Conqueror’s Steward in Colchester, had to "renew" the Chapel in 1076.
It was never a parish church, but it was used a “chantry” to which people would leave money after they died for prayers to be said for them to speed their passage though Purgatory.
In 1539, at the time of the Reformation, it ceased to be used for worship and went into secular use as a school, a library, a house, a workshop and so on. In the 18th century, it became the Quaker’s ‘Little Meeting House' and it has an adjacent Quaker burial ground which has now been gifted to the borough and cannot be built upon.
The chapel was last restored in 1886 so there is no longer much original stonework on show although Roman bricks and septaria can still be seen in its walls. It was then used as a church hall, but in recent times it has been used as a storeroom for the Castle Museum. In 2000 the Greek Orthodox Church took it over. They have now moved to St. Martin’s Church which I discussed in my last blog. The Greek Orthodox Church still own it, but at present it is not clear what their plans for it are.
If you would like to see this ancient building along with many others, please book a tour with me. To arrange a tour please contact me.