The Fraser of Hospitalfield Memorial Chapel was conceived as a commemorative monument to the Fraser dynasty from their arrival in Arbroath in 1663 until their line ended in 1873 with the death of Elizabeth Allan-Fraser, at which point the central plot in the newly proposed Western Cemetery was bought from the Town Council by Patrick Allan-Fraser, her husband, to build a non-denominational mortuary chapel for the use of the local population.
The idea of a functional and useful memorial to the Frasers is a fitting tribute to the promotion of the town by the family from their beginnings, when the Rev James Fraser began charitable work in Arbroath by setting up a Church School, funding the schoolmasters salary himself.
The Memorial Chapel was a reponse to the noted unsanitory conditions in Arbroath, where an over-crowded population was often forced to live alongside their dead until burial could be arranged.
This new public building was designed by Patrick Allan-Fraser to combine historical architectural references with the natural observation of the surrounding countryside, an expression of the cultural depth of the community and the rich diversity of the lfe surrounding it. It is built entirely of stone quarried from the Hospitalfield estates, by his own workmen, the head mason and carver, James Peters, having started as an apprentice at Hospitalfield in the 1850s. He was still working on the elaborate carving in the early C20. The roof line is the most elaborate element of the building, with a relatively simple ground level, which houses the two family vaults, giving the expression of a building growing and flowering into the sky.
The Chapel has always been a much discussed building, from the first expressions of civic pride to gradual condemnation as a decadent building by the following generations of modernist critics and architects, until the circle has turned once again to an appreciation of the skill of its creators and the complexity of its design, so that it is rightly acclaimed as one of the most important funerary structures in Europe. It is now protected as a Grade 1 listed building by Historic Scotland, and continues to be looked after on behalf of the community by the Hospitalfield Trust.
The Western Cemetery has often been described as one of the best designed and maintained burial grounds in Scotland, still with original tree plantings, including tall and mature specimens of the Monkey Puzzle Tree from Chile which rise above the cypress and laurel bushes which line the main avenues. It is managed by Angus Council.
Visiting the Chapel
The exterior can be seen at any time during daylight hours in the Western Cemetery, Arbroath.
The interior is open for two days each year, during Angus Doors Open Days weekend, normally held in early September.
The Chapel has also been used as a venue and exhibition space by Hospitalfield residents. Details of any special openings will be posted in the news section of this website.
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