Parish Church Of St Leonard

TL 58 SW DOWNHAM MAIN STREET (North Side) 4/11 Parish Church of 5.2.52 St Leonard

GV I

Parish Church. Tower C12 with C19 fourth stage replacing an earlier structure (W. Cole). C12 door reset in early C13 south aisle. Nave, aisles and chancel C13 unbuttressed, with walls repaired and partly rebuilt C19. C14 windows in chancel and aisles restored or replaced C19. Porch rebuilt C19 with C15 arch re-used. Roofs C19. Walls of pebble and limestone rubble with brick repairs, some clunch courses in chancel, with limestone dressings, some reused material. South elevation: Tower of four stages with plain parapet and angle pinnacles. Small loop window and second stage window; two-light belfry window in square headed arch with labels. Clerestory windows, lancet lights with wide deeply splayed inner arches. Two restored two-light aisle windows and two two-light chancel windows C14, with square headed arches and labels. South porch with C15 four-centred moulded arch qv. Bishop's Palace. South door rebuilt with two-centred arch, with two carved heads of inner order of mask ornament of clunch, possibly C13; chevron outer order; jambs with two chevroned and cabled shafts one to left hand with carved head of the devil. Door rebuilt C19 with original C13 boards and ironwork. Interior: chancel arch and nave arcade of five bays with alternate round and octagonal piers with plain moulded caps and bases, and two-centred arches of two chamfered orders. Tower arch possibly C12 chamfered with moulded label. Chancel; piscina C13 with double cinquefoil arch and foiled drains cut by C14 window. Roof of three bays, arch braced with painted C19 stencil decoration. C15 bell stock with curved cross braces in each bay. Screen, C15. Font C15 octagonal with quatrefoil and sunk panel decoration. Tapestry C19 used as reredos. George III Coat of Arms on west nave wall painted on canvas.

V.C.H. p92 The Village and Church 1974 Patterson, W Pevsner: Buildings of England p330

Listing NGR: TL5263584172