FAQ

Who owns and runs the Chapel and how is it funded?

The Little Chapel is owned by The Little Chapel Charitable Foundation (Guernsey registered charity CH533) and run by a small but dedicated team of volunteers. It receives no financial support from the States of Guernsey nor indeed from any of the island churches. There is also no admission charge (even for tour guides and coach parties) so the Chapel relies totally for its upkeep and maintenance on the donations it receives from the public.


Having had a major fundraising campaign to save the Chapel from imminent collapse in 2017, it is now in need of further funds to enable the renovation and repair work to continue. As soon as finances permit, the Foundation also hopes to make some essential improvements such as on-site toilet facilities and the provision of disabled access. Thank you as always for your support.

Entry to the Chapel is free. The charitable Foundation that runs the Chapel relies totally on donations to cover the maintenance and upkeep costs and for the programme of renovation and repair work still being carried out. No part of the tour, guide, coach or taxi fees charged by third parties includes an entry fee or a donation to the Chapel (unless clearly stated otherwise).


The Chapel also has no staff costs and relies totally on a small but dedicated team of volunteers for its day-to-day management. Except in unforeseen circumstances, it is open every day of the year. In the close season this is from 9am to 4pm and in the high season from 9am to 6pm.

Unfortunately the answer at present is that the Chapel, which is very small and built on a hillside, is not very wheelchair friendly. It is our number one priority to create better disabled access into the Chapel and we have applied to the States of Guernsey and various other local organisations for support but have yet to be successful.


With care and with assistance a wheelchair can be pushed from the Clockmaker’s barn up to the Chapel door using the narrow, uneven and rather steep path that crosses in front and then to the right of the Chapel. Small wheelchairs can also pass through the door into the upper Chapel area but disabled access at present is obviously far from satisfactory.


Nevertheless a visit is still very worthwhile because there is good access for a wheelchair from the car park to the front of the Chapel and that is where most people stop to take their photos and admire how beautiful it is.

In view of the ongoing renovation and repair work at the Chapel it is not licensed by the States of Guernsey (the Greffe) for use as a venue for weddings and civil ceremonies and the Foundation does not therefore currently permit any such private events to be held on site.

The Chapel has a free car park for the exclusive use of visitors to the Chapel. From the car park it is only a short walk to the Chapel itself. There is also a bus stop right next door to the car park and it is only a short bus journey to and from St Peter Port.

 

Up to date details of the bus routes and timetables are available on www.buses.gg where there is an App you can download.

In 2017 a major fundraising campaign saved the Chapel from imminent collapse. Although the main structural work (new roof, new floor, underpinning etc) has been successfully completed, further funds are still desperately needed to enable the painstaking renovation and repair work to continue. As soon as our finances permit, we are also hoping to make some essential improvements such as on-site toilet facilities and the provision of disabled access. Beautiful though it is the Chapel is best described as a work in progress, so we thank you for your patience and your ongoing support.

The ongoing programme of restoration and repair work at the Chapel relies totally on the donations it receives from the public, as do plans to improve the site and provide better disabled access, toilet facilities etc. The Little Chapel Foundation has no operating costs because its members are all volunteers so every penny that is raised, donated, granted or bequeathed to the Chapel goes directly into preserving it for future generations to enjoy.


In addition to financial support, the Chapel is always in need of volunteers with a little bit of time to spare to help with practical tasks like cleaning the interior or tending the gardens and pathways. If you would like to join our team then contact us.

“Disposition of ashes – After the cremation of the remains of a deceased person, the ashes shall be decently interred in a burial ground or scattered on land reserved for the burial or scattering of ashes.”

The Little Chapel is not a site approved or reserved for the burial or scattering of ashes, so it is therefore not possible to scatter ashes on Chapel land, but there are sites on the island where it is permitted, as well as at sea.

 

The Little Chapel, surrounding hillside and Chapel car park are owned by The Little Chapel Charitable Foundation and the Chapel access road, over which the Foundation has a right of way, by the owners of the remaining estate at Les Vauxbelets. These parcels of land constitute the Little Chapel site (‘the site’).

The Little Chapel Charitable Foundation (‘the Foundation’) does not charge fees to persons and businesses that use the site for their own commercial purposes, but it affords them unfettered access strictly and solely on the following terms,

a) That they are aware it is an unmanned site and that they and their clients enter entirely at their own risk,

b) That they accept full responsibility for the supervision, safety and behaviour of the clients they bring to the site including liability for any loss, damage or injury that might ensue,

c) That they and their clients pay attention to and heed all warning signs on the site,

d) That they carry adequate public liability and indemnity cover in the knowledge that the Foundation can accept no responsibility or liability for any accident or injury sustained by them or their clients whilst on the site howsoever caused,

e) That they make it clear to their clients the Foundation relies totally on donations for the maintenance and upkeep of the Chapel and for the programme of renovation and repair work still being carried out and,

f) That they make it clear to their clients no part of any tour, guide, coach or related fee charged by them as commercial users constitutes an entry fee or includes a donation to the Chapel (unless is otherwise the case).