Bettany Hughes's Ten Places, Europe and Us Podcast - Sandham Memorial Chapel

Dec 05, 2016, 02:00 AM

The Sandham Memorial Chapel in Hampshire is Stanley’s Spencer’s monument to the forgotten dead of the First World War. The murals draw on Spencer’s experiences serving first as a medical orderly in Britain and then on active service in the Balkans. Bettany meets Operations Manager Alison Paton to take a closer look at the paintings and she lends Bettany a ladder to investigate the stories on the highest parts of the walls.

Spencer expert Amanda Bradley discusses his inspiration from Giotto’s Arena Chapel in Padua. Finally Bettany has a cup of tea with Robert Eggar, a retired solider who volunteers at the chapel and who believes that Spencer has discovered the only thing that is beautiful about the battlefields - the comradeship of men - which is why so many of our war heroes visit the chapel today.

For more information about Sandham Memorial Chapel, including opening times and dates, go to: www.nationaltrust.org.uk/sandham-memorial-chapel