the sandham memorial chapel in burghclere was a colossal undertaking. spencer's paintings cover a twenty-one foot high, seventeen-and-half foot wide end wall, eight seven foot high lunettes, each above a predella, with two twenty-eight feet long irregularly shaped strips between the lunettes and the ceiling. the behrends were exceptionally generous patrons and not only paid for the chapel to be built to spencer's specifications but also paid the rent on the london studio where he completed "the resurrection, cookham" and built a house for him and carline to live in nearby while working at burghclere, as spencer would be painting the canvases "in situ". the chapel was designed to spencer's specifications by the architect lionel pearson and was modelled on giotto's arena chapel in padua.