Chichele College

Chichele College is a rare survivor of a chantry college, a community of priests founded in Higham Ferrers in 1422 by the locally born Henry Chichele, Archbishop of Canterbury. Its priests and choristers prayed for the founder's family until the college was surrendered to Henry VIII in 1542; part later served as an inn, then a farm cottage. The east wall still stands to full height on College Street with its main gateway, the roofed chapel keeps a blocked east window and carved head corbels, and exposed foundations trace the old quadrangle. Run by the volunteers of Higham Ferrers Tourism for English Heritage, the chapel hosts art exhibitions and events, and the flat garden has been replanted to resemble a medieval cloister garth. Reviewers call the garden a peaceful place to sit, and advise timing a visit for a weekend event, as the building is not open every day. Dogs on leads are welcome in the garden only.