Soulton Hall resonates with stories and ideas embedded in its ancient stones, none more thought-provoking and sensitive than those connected to its prayer room and chapel. For centuries a sanctuary, a space for contemplation and reflection, this room is now undergoing a delicate restoration to once again serve as a sober and respectful place for interdenominational use.
The legacy of Sir Rowland Hill: A space reflecting the intricate life of a Tudor figure who navigated the Reformation, Counter-Reformation, and Elizabethan Settlement.
Guiding the Ashton family in this sensitive undertaking are heritage consultants Byrga Geniht, whose expertise has proven invaluable. They advised on the lime wash restoration, restoring the space’s ethereal, almost “icing-like” quality, highlighting its highly conceptual nature. A key element of the restoration is the preservation and documentation of the existing floor.
These antique candelabras are designed for flexibility. They can form a Tenebrae hearse flanking a lantern for that observance, and be reconfigured for other liturgical uses, including interfaith services.
Its rhythmomachia tiling (a medieval mathematical game) is more than a surface; it is concerned with placeholding, reminding us of the importance of personal progress, self-improvement, good faith teamwork, and the pursuit of truth through disciplines like mathematics. This floor was also intended to guide thinking during the perilous Tudor era, steering minds away from deceit and superstition, which represent dangerous paths to confusion, exploitation, and abuse.
To facilitate the contemporary use and help the prayer room’s atmosphere as a heritage presentation, Byrga Geniht sourced a tenebrae hearse. This piece acknowledges the significance of the tenebrae service in the Hall’s 16th-century history (the house’s alignment on the Easter sunrise).
Selected for their aesthetic harmony with the Tudor interior, these pieces distinguish themselves from Soulton’s genuine Tudor artifacts, such as the Sir Rowland Hill furniture.
Returning this prayer room to a circumstance close to that purpose in was built for nearly 500 years ago, while mindful of the 21st-century context is about respectfully engaging with Sir Rowland Hill’s legacy, understanding the space’s historical context, and creating a welcoming environment for sober, serious-minded respectful theological work in a pluralist culture with a past that has involved trauma and pain.
This room offers a place for ecumenical engagement, contributing to the ongoing story of Soulton Hall.
