Burgundy Chapel, Somerset

Not much is known about the history of Burgundy Chapel, a tiny medieval building hidden away in the thick woodland 2 miles northwest of Minehead along the Somerset coast. The earliest reference is thought to be in 1405, when, as 'Bircombe Chapel' it was mentioned in the household accounts of the Luttrell family, owners of nearby Dunster Castle. The chapel was ruinous at least by 1717, yet the ruins visible today are still recognisably a religious structure, one with an evocative setting, overlooking the coast, well away from any other buildings.

The chapel is built on a ledge 280 feet above the sea, on a steep, north-facing slope, and would originally have been surrounded by treeless heath, and so enjoying uninterrupted views across the Bristol Channel, though the site has become thickly wooded over the last century.

The chapel is thought to have been a place of reflection, and perhaps also to give thanks, before and after undertaking lengthy sea voyages, in particular those of the Burgundian Wars (1474-1477). Access was, and is, along a track from the east, from Minehead, that ends by crossing the adjacent ravine, Burgundy Chapel Combe, and rising slightly to the chapel, which is now also reachable via a path from above, a 0.3 mile walk starting from a parking place along Hill Road.

Access

The eastern access to Burgundy Chapel, from Minehead, is via Greenaleigh Lower Road, which ends at a large house above a group of fields, in turn bordering a sizeable beach, Greenaleigh Sand; beyond the house, a half mile path continues to the chapel. The easiest approach though is from the south, via Hill Road, starting at a good sized-parking place just off the highway, enclosed by gorse bushes. From here a path heads north, very soon intercepting the main coast path then, after crossing more open land, good for wildflowers in the summer (including heath spotted orchids), reaches a junction with a lesser path, the route down to the chapel. This descends steeply into Burgundy Chapel Combe, which gradually becomes more wooded and overgrown.

The Ruins

The ruins too are partly obscured by vegetation, and not all parts are obvious. The largest surviving portion is the south wall, in the middle of which is a complete four-centred arched doorway; the other walls are less intact, and the only other features visible are the remains of splay window at the east end of the south wall and part of another window on the north side. The chapel was rectangular, 8.3 x 3.9 metres in size, and adjoins a smaller, two-room structure to the west, of earlier construction, thought to have been used for habitation, a hermitage perhaps.