Church Of St Leonard

BIRDINGBURY FRANKTON ROAD SP46NW (East side) 5/7 Church of St. Leonard 06/10/60 GV II Church. Mid/late C18. Enlarged, altered and gothicised 1873. Limestone ashlar with plinth, and sill course and moulded cornice to north and south sides. Apse of rock-faced, regular coursed stone with ashlar dressings. Tile roof has coped gable parapets with moulded kneelers, and ridge cresting; cupola has lead roof. Apse, nave and chancel partly in one, narthex and west cupola. Classical and Gothic Revival styles. 3 bays, with one-bay apse. Classical west front of yellow stone has 4 Tuscan pilasters and pediment surmounted by cupola. Moulded fielded 6-panelled door in moulded stone architrave with cornice. Cupola has round-arched bell openings and finial with weathervane. Polygonal apse of 1873 has splayed plinth and sill course. 2-light windows have simple plate tracery with continuous hood mould. Hipped roof has metal finial. North and south sides have 2-light chancel window with plate tracery and hood mould. Paired lancets with continous hood moulds. Narthex has small lancets, with small single light below on north side. Interior: Early English style chancel has triple shafts and stiff leaf sill frieze to apse. Elaborately painted rib vault has Christ in Majesty, angels, and patterns. Piscina and sedilia have trefoiled round arches and granite shafts. Apse arch of 2 moulded orders, the outer with shafts, the inner with colonnettes and stiff leaf and head capitals. Outer part of chancel has stiff leaf frieze. Windows throughout have attached shafts. Painted panelled deep coved and barrel vaulted roof has roof truss on colonnettes forming chancel arch. Nave has panelled crown post roof. West wall has 3 arches with gallery in upper part. Round arched double-leaf 6-panelled doors. Gallery fronts have 2 fielded panels and dentil cornice. Fittings: C18 stone font has baluster stem with gadrooned base and leaf-moulded bowl. C18 octagonal pulpit has marquetry and dentil cornice. Fielded panelled box pews. Screen, lectern, chancel stalls and altar rails of 1873. C18 carved and gilded royal arms panel on gallery. The rebuilding was at the expense of the Reverend R. Hickman. (V.C.H.: Warwickshire, Vol.6, 1892, p.38; Buildings of England: Warwickshire, p.96; Kelly's Directory of Warwickshire, p.38).

Listing NGR: SP4323068633