Retford Heritage Trail - Churchgate.

Chapelgate is an older part of town, the road was a main through route before the Great North Road was routed, parts of it are of lower building styles and may well have been timbered. Dominated by the church, the area probably had a more sedentary growth profile that Grove Street and today is more relaxed with its main road cut off to through traffic.

From the top of the road look across the ring road to the ornate 'Gothic Cottage' (1834) to the left of the Broken Wheel pub. Chapelgate House (1758 according to the plaque on the front) was Retfords first public dispensiry in 1865, offering treatment and medicines to the poor. Later the house next door was converted into a cottage hospital with three beds and a cot. Accross the road the modern buildings are on the site of the vicarage garden which for many years was the site of the Grammar school, dating from the reign of Edward VI and founded with church monies.

The large church, St Swithuns was founded in C12. Notice the recently restored wall, this together with the Cannon, seen later, have been restored to their former glory by the Retford Civic Society. Take time to visit the church which has a fine stained glass by Clayton & Bell, C14 arches in the stonework of the North Transept and fragments of medieval glass in the 'penny window'. If you enjoy spotting detail look for a lady in stone wearing a wimple, a roof boss bearing the towns coat of arms and another with an angel playing a musical instrument. Cut diagonally through the churchyard  to exit by the Cannon. The Russian Cannon was captured at Sebastapol in 1855, its a two ton 24 pounder from 1831 and was brought to Retford to celebrate winning the Crimean War at J.S.Pierceys suggestion following graphic letters home from his soldier son. It took a year of discussion before it was decided to position in here and it would have been melted down in the second World War, were it not for Retford solicitor, Alfred Wilson, who bought it and hid it until the war was over.

Sloswicke's Hospital is opposite, Nos 25-27, Mease de Dieu (House of God). His will in 1657 left money to found almshouses 'for the maintenance of 6 poor old men", although there was only enough funds for 3!! Increasing land values during the Napoleonic war enabled the trustees to erect the present Georgian building. Further along the road is Burton Butchers, started here in 1876 and still in the same family managed by the fifth generation. Behind the shop are the remains of an old slaughterhouse.  Retrace your steps past the library, this impressive building has also been renovated and is worth looking inside, before moving on down towards Bridgegate.