Bishop dedicates St Hilda's Chapel

The newly reconstructed chapel at St Hilda's College was dedicated on 13 January by the Bishop of Oxford, The Rt Revd Richard Harries (pictured left, in the chapel). The rebuilding was carried out as the college's Millennium project in memory of Evelyn Elizabeth Fowle, who studied History at St Hilda's from 1948–51, and was financed by gifts from her family and friends, and members of the college. The original chapel at St Hilda's became student accommodation in 1924, after it became too small to hold all the students, and a prefabricated `temporary' chapel was set up. In 1969, college development necessitated the removal of this building, and new accommodation was found in the college's Milham Ford Building, where the chapel has now been reconstructed. The new chapel is illuminated through brilliantly coloured painted glass windows depicting Fall and Redemption, which take the image of the garden as their unifying theme. The Garden of Eden is the subject of one window, whilst the Easter garden is the focus of the second. The windows were designed by Evelyn Fowle's niece, Harriet Impey. In his address at the dedication, the Bishop discussed the spirit of creativity and the importance of a new chapel as a focus of God's presence, emphasising how the experience of God's presence in specific holy places makes it easier for His presence to be felt in the wider world. The chaplain of St Hilda's, Canon Brian Mountford, also said that the Chapel was of value to students as a place which they could identify as a spiritual centre, providing a focus for Christian activities within the college.