Church Of St Leonard

Church of St Leonard

Parish church in Scarcliffe, comprising work from the 12th century onwards, with the tower rebuilt in 1842 and 19th-century restoration. The building is constructed in coursed squared sandstone with ashlar dressings, and roofed in lead and Welsh slate.

The plan consists of a west tower, nave with north aisle and south porch, and chancel.

The tower was rebuilt in 1842 and is divided into four stages by moulded string courses. It has a stop-chamfered plinth and clasping buttresses rising to half height. The south side carries a sundial at second-stage level and a circular clock face on the third stage. The fourth stage has bell-openings of three double-chamfered lancets with continuous hoodmould. The west side features a double-chamfered doorway, a 2-light window with bar tracery and hoodmould, a tiny chamfered lancet above, and bell-openings matching those to the south. The north side is embraced by the vestry, which forms a western continuation of the aisle, with a small lancet window above and similar bell-openings. The east side also has similar bell-openings. The tower is crowned with a battlemented parapet and four pinnacles.

The north aisle is a lean-to structure. At its west end near the vestry are a pair of chamfered lancets. A single chamfered doorway opens to the north. The older part of the aisle contains a flat-arched window with double-chamfered surround and square leaded glazing, followed by a 2-light window with square-section mullion and square leaded glazing, and a further similar flat-arched window. Four buttresses support the north wall. A clerestory of three small rectangular chamfered lights runs along the nave above. The east end of the aisle has a small rectangular window with wave moulding.

The north side of the chancel shows evidence of later raising and has an interrupted sill band. Features include a cusped 2-light window with hoodmould, a blocked flat-arched doorway, a chamfered lancet, and a tall blocked lancet. Angle buttresses reinforce the corners.

The chancel's east window contains three cusped lights under a segmental pointed arch, with hoodmould on headstops. The south side of the chancel has a round-arched doorway with dogtooth moulding and hoodmould with stylised headstops and dogtooth, fitted with a panelled door. To the right stands a tall chamfered lancet, and to the left a 3-light segment-pointed arched window with cusped lights.

The south side of the nave is battlemented with irregular fenestration. From east to west are two large 3-light flat-arched windows with bead-moulded surrounds and mullions (the second has a blocked light), followed by a flat-arched 2-light window with cusped segment-headed lights and short mullions rising from the apex of each light. These three windows are set close together. A deeply projecting gabled south porch contains a single chamfered pointed-arched entrance. Above the porch is a small rectangular window with wave-moulded surround. To the left of the porch is a tall cross window set in a deeply chamfered surround with triangular head. Stone seats are provided within the south porch.

The interior contains a 12th-century south doorway with one order of colonettes, one roll-moulding in the arch, and a lintel inscribed with wheels, stars and saltire crosses. A scalloped capital adorns the doorway. Pair of 19th-century panelled doors occupy this entrance.

The north arcade comprises four bays with double-chamfered round arches and hoodmould with two headstops. From west to east, it features a semi-circular west respond, a circular pier, a quatrefoil pier with nailhead capital, an octagonal pier, and a semi-octagonal respond. A plainly chamfered doorway with lancet above provides entry to the tower. At the east end of the arcade, a doorway gives access from the aisle to the rood loft.

The chancel arch is double-chamfered, with the inner order on semi-circular responds bearing scallop capitals and the outer order dying into the imposts.

A tomb in the south-east corner of the nave contains an effigy of a lady, probably Constantia de Frecheville (died 1175), shown with a child in her arms. Her head rests on a lion, and she is accompanied by a huge scroll of Leonine verse, dating to the 13th century. A charity board above the tomb is dated 1832.

The chancel contains numerous 19th-century memorial tablets and mid-Victorian stained glass in most chancel windows. The north aisle east window dates to 1902 and is by M. Lowndes, featuring strong modelling to the figures.

A small octagonal font in the form of a baluster has an octagonal cover dated 1688.