The Chapel of St James at Postlip is a small Norman building dating from around 1145, making it nearly 900 years old and one of the oldest intact structures you will encounter on the Cotswold Way. It measures just 12 metres long and 5 metres wide, with thick rubblestone walls and a simple chancel arch. The chapel was built as a private place of worship for the lords of Postlip manor, at a time when the nearest parish church was a long walk away in Winchcombe. During the English Civil War, the chapel is said to have been used as a stable by Parliamentarian troops. It fell into disuse in the 18th century but was restored in the Victorian period and again in the 1970s by the Postlip Community. Today it is used for occasional services and community gatherings. The building retains its original proportions and much of its Norman stonework, including a small lancet window in the east wall. Standing inside, you are in a space that has remained essentially unchanged for nearly nine centuries — a rare experience in a landscape where most medieval buildings have been extensively altered.
“It fell into disuse in the 18th century but was restored in the Victorian period and again in the 1970s by the Postlip Community.”
