Our Chapel is genuinely considered by present and past pupils to be the heart of the College. This magnificent building, with its glorious soaring architecture, lifts the hearts and minds of those who enter it, giving them space to think and reflect, to pray and to worship. It comfortably seats over 700.
Chapel provides pupils with a firm foundation on which to build their lives and teaches them the value of justice, peace, love, compassion, forgiveness and integrity – things which are central to the Christian way of life, and indeed to all humanity.
Cheltenham College is a Christian foundation and Chapel services follow the practice of the Church of England. We do, however, maintain and try to encourage a deep respect for other faiths.
Weekday Chapel
The whole school attends a service on four mornings during the week. Many voices are heard throughout the week from both the staff and pupil communities, as well as from the local churches of Cheltenham. Though holding fast to, and prioritizing, Christian belief and practice, the purpose of morning chapel is the development of the ethical, philosophical and aesthetical dimension of each child. To this end, a thematic syllabus is followed throughout the year, corresponding in many ways to the Church calendar, but also facilitating broader reflection and teaching.
Sunday Chapel
The main service is on Sunday evenings at 8pm, to which parents and visitors are most welcome. The Eucharist is celebrated early on a week-day morning each week, and once every half-term College Eucharist replaces the Evening Prayer service on a Sunday.
Worship throughout the Year
Choral Evensong is sung on Wednesdays every month and a healthy number of local residents attend. And on the afternoon of Christmas Eve the Chapel is filled with nearly one thousand worshippers for its service of Lessons and Carols.
Chaplaincy Base
Situated underneath Chapel ‘The Crypt’ is at the heart of chaplaincy. This multipurpose space accommodates the following events and activities: intimate services of Holy Communion, group bible study, confirmation preparation, experiential prayer and contemporary worship, and pastoral conversation.
Chaplaincy Team
The Senior Chaplain, The Revd. Dr. Adam Dunning is assisted by an Honorary Chaplain, a Staff Chaplaincy Team and pupil representatives in each of the Houses.
The Senior Chaplain - The Revd. Dr. Adam Dunning
Adam joined both College and the Junior School from parish ministry. For six years he was Rector of Orton Longueville in the city of Peterborough.
Since ordination Adam has served in the dioceses of Worcester, Birmingham, Ely and now Gloucester. He was educated at King Edward VI College, Stourbridge, before reading Philosophy and Theology at Oxford University. From there he was prepared for ordination at Westcott House, Cambridge and at the same time completed a Ph.D at the University of Birmingham in the field of late medieval mystical theology.