Church Of St Leonard

The Church of St Leonard is a church located on Church Street in Bilston, built between 1825 and 1826 by architect Francis Goodwin. It underwent restoration from 1882 to 1883 by Ewan Christian. The building is constructed of stucco and features a parapeted roof in a Neo-classical style influenced by the architect John Soane.

The church has a nave with a canted chancel apse and a west tower. The west facade consists of five bays, with the end and center bays projecting forward. It has a top entablature and a coped parapet, with the center bay featuring angle pilasters. The round-headed upper windows have archivolts and an impost band, with small-paned glazing. The central entrance is framed by a porch that has channelled rustication, angle pilasters, and an entablature, along with an eared architrave and iron gates. The inner angles of the porch have cast iron plinths with short columns, possibly intended for lamps, and inscribed with the lettering: ANNO DOMINI/ 1826/ FRANCIS GOODWIN/ ARCHITECT. Inside, there are paired inner doors, flanking square windows, and end entrances, all in eared architraves.

The tower features canted angles at the base adorned with a Greek key design and four finials. It has paired fluted pilaster strips at the angles, a fluted frieze, and a cornice. The round-headed louvred bell openings are topped with clock faces, and the tower culminates in a domical vault with enriched wrought iron cresting and a weather vane.

The north and south elevations each have six bays, with the end bays projecting forward and tall round-headed windows. The east end of the church has recessed canted angles and a canted apse, with an east window.

Inside, most of the interior work was completed by Ewan Christian and features a shallow segmental vault decorated with Greek relief motifs. There are galleries on three sides with balustraded parapets, and the east end is flanked by Ionic columns around the apse. The font, dating from 1673, has a shallow, fluted bowl. There are also some early 19th-century wall monuments, including one for Mrs Riley (died 1835) by William Weale, featuring a medallion and drapery, and another for Mrs Willim (died 1834), depicted as a standing figure by the altar.