From the outset, the Chapel was firmly placed right at the centre of school life and on Sundays, Miss Willis took the service and preached a sermon. Her sense of poetry and drama enriched the services and girls appreciated her openness which was encouraged. Cynthia Wood (Boot DH 1942) wrote, “I always felt that Downe was a Christian community in action, where you were accepted and could make mistakes, be forgiven, learn and start again with impunity.” The Chapel has continued to play a fundamental role in the life of the school and the building today would be familiar to all generations, although minor changes have been made.
