Built by the Clarke family between 1774 and 1779, Bridwell Park sits comfortably within 100 acres of beautiful countryside.
The original chapel within the grounds was demolished and replaced in 1809 – rather than being consecrated as a holy building, it was turned into a museum.
The chapel
Richard Hall Clarke built the chapel with the sole purpose of paying tribute to the great English explorer, Captain James Cook. In the 18th century, the Royal Navy sea captain made three voyages of discovery, navigating the world’s oceans and bringing back many mementos of his travels.
In years gone by, the museum was packed to capacity with a multitude of items, with artefacts from Hawaii making up the bulk of the collection, including a red cloak made from around one million feathers from the Apapane bird.
Such cloaks were normally given to the tribal chiefs, but the Hawaiian people gave one to Cook as a gift, because he was so highly respected. They also gave Cook a number of feathered crowns, hats and suits worn by mourners after a tribal chief had died. There are reportedly only seven such special suits left in the world!
In the 1960s, the family sold a lot of the artefacts. Many of the historic items went to other museums for public display. These included two sleeping stools, a barbed mahogany spear and a Polynesian sculpture of a toad which can now be seen at the British Museum.
Today, although Captain Cook’s mementos have been consigned to history, the beautiful Grade II listed chapel has become popular for civil wedding ceremonies and other special events. The intimate venue, with its striking interior and imposing stone fireplace, provides a truly unique setting.