Chichester Cathedral building re-dedicated to former Bishop George Bell

A spokesperson for Chichester Cathedral said 4 Canon Lane has been renamed to George Bell House this week, although the title of ‘4 Canon Lane’ will continue to be used for some commercial activities.

The change comes as the Chichester Cathedral Chapter reconsiders a decision to strip Bell’s name from the 19th century property back in 2016, after the Church of England issued a formal apology and compensation to a woman under the pseudonym of “Carol” who claimed to have been abused by Bell nearly seventy years earlier, when she was only five.

"The decision was made in good faith under deeply sensitive circumstances. However, the Chapter acknowledges that this decision was deficient and apologises for this,” a spokesperson said.

In 2019, the Church of England (C of E) apologised for publishing the allegations against Bell after an inquiry by an ecclesiastical lawyer revealed the decision was taken “without serious investigation or inquiry”. A second report, commissioned to investigate fresh claims submitted to Sussex Police, also found that there was no evidence to support them.

In a statement made at the time, the Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby said: “I apologise unreservedly for the mistakes made in the process surrounding the handling of the original allegation against Bishop George Bell. The reputation of Bishop Bell is significant, and I am clear that his memory and the work he did is of as much importance to the Church today as it was in the past”

George Bell served as Bishop of Chichester Cathedral from 1929 until his death in 1958. He was celebrated in life and after it for his vocal opposition to allied bombing of German civilians, and supporting a range of refugees and other displaced persons throughout the Second World War.

4 Canon Lane was first dedicated to the late Bishop in 2008, as a gift to the Cathedral from The Sisters of the Community of the Servants of the Cross. Once an archdeaconry, a spokesperson said “the house was secured in trust to be primarily a centre dedicated to Bishop Bell’s concern for vocation, education and reconciliation.”