Becket's Chapel in Wymondham wins national award after work

Becket's Chapel in Wymondham has been named alongside Elizabeth Tower - home of the Big Ben clock - and Westminster Hall in London as one of the nation's best restoration projects.

At the glamorous 2025 Civic Trust Awards held in Manchester last week, the chapel was named as one of just four winners of an AABC Conservation Award.

Becket's Chapel is Wymondham's oldest building (Image: Dave Balcombe) Parts of the Grade I listed building date back to the 12th century and were in a very poor state of repair.

In September 2022, Historic Norfolk purchased the chapel to save it from dereliction and carried out a major programme of restoration and repair thanks to grant funding from Historic England and other donors.

Chair of Historic Norfolk, Judith Harwood, said: "This accolade is a fantastic achievement for our relatively modest project sitting alongside such monumental entries as the Elizabeth Tower (Big Ben) and Westminster Hall.

The chapel has completed phase one of the restoration works (Image: Supplied) "It is a particular tribute to the work of our architect, Patricia Forero, and her professional team, our partnership working with Historic England and our trustees.

"None of this would have been possible without the initial and sustained support of the Architectural Heritage Fund which provided project viability, development and capital funding over a number of years."

This was only the first phase of development, with plans approved in October for an extension to house a new cafe and visitor centre.

Designs for the upcoming chapel extension (Image: Submitted) However, these plans have proven contentious with Kathryn Cross, a South Norfolk councillor and Wymondham local, calling them "a soulless abomination and depressing carbuncle".

The chapel is thought to be the town's oldest building, having been founded in the late 12th century, although most of the surviving structure dates to around the 1300s.