Odda's Chapel

The Gloucestershire village of Deerhurst, just 9 miles from Gloucester and 2.5 miles from Tewkesbury, boasts two historic religious sites: a Saxon parish church that is still in use and Odda's Chapel, a Saxon chapel managed by English Heritage.

Odda's Chapel was built in 1056 by Odda, a relative of King Edward the Confessor, in honor of his brother Aelfric. It lay neglected until the 20th century, when the plaster that had long covered the Saxon masonry was removed.

The chapel is a simple rectangular stone building, just 40 feet long. A half-timbered cottage with two storeys clings to the east end of the building.

Odda's Chapel incorporates many typical Anglo-Saxon features, including "long-and-short" corner stones, double-splayed windows and tall proportions.

A copy of the dedicatory inscription from Odda, discovered in 1675, is on display inside the chapel. The original stone is in the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford.

A footpath across the lane from Odda's Chapel leads across a field to the peaceful River Severn.