Rauceby was designed for 490 patients, making it a quarter of the size of Cane Hill and Severalls. The chapels were usually designed to hold half the patients at once, so this was smallest I’d seen so far.

Even so, this was now my favourite. The Cane Hill chapel is too buried in the asylum to really be seen (CH Howell probably being pushed for space on the Cane Hill peninsula plus responding to thoughts that the chapel’s should be part of the asylum main buildings) whilst the chapel at Severalls is oversized and overbearing. This had more ‘human’ dimensions.

Hine’s positioning of this chapel was odd however. It’s perched on the north west of the site, to the back of the hospital, and not near the main drive. I’d like to know the thoughts behind that.

The good news is that the chapel is being kept by the developers.