Archbishop of Canterbury (1945-1961)
Archbishop Fisher presided at the marriage of Princess Elizabeth and Prince Philip at Westminster Cathedral and later at Elizabeth’s coronation in 1953. He retired from office in 1961 and was shortly after made a life peer. He died in 1972 and was buried, at his request, in a crypt in St Andrew’s Church, Trent in Dorset. A memorial was erected in the cathedral, and the chapel of St Gregory was rededicated to his memory in 1978 by Archbishop Coggan, the last such recognition to be conferred on an archbishop.
On the west-facing wall is an inscription tablet reminding us than Fisher met with Pope John XXIII, the first time an archbishop of Canterbury had met with a pope since the Reformation, albeit his visit being conducted informally. A simple white stone altar stands in the chapel. It was constructed by the cathedral masons. From a distance it appears to be composed of a blocks of white dimension stone, undoubtedly Lepine Stone (from the same quarries as the current (2019) Lavoux Stone), which was the principal building stone in use by the Dean and Chapter at the time. Altar ornaments and railings were added at a later date from money subscribed by family members and friends of the late Archbishop.
