Church Of St. Leonard

The Church of St. Leonard is a Grade II* listed building that dates back to the early 16th century, with significant rebuilding in 1869. Originally reconstructed by Archbishop Warham in the early 16th century, it underwent further restoration by T.H. Wyatt in 1869, during which the chancel was rebuilt, a north aisle was added, and the tower was largely reconstructed.

Inside, the chancel features north and south chapels at its western half, separated by two moulded pointed arches that rest on short coupled marble columns with decorated floral caps and moulded bases. Each side of the chancel has a small piscina, and there is a lancet window above a sedilia on the south side. The chancel arch is stepped and fully moulded, supported by decorated brackets on either side of a short marble column on a bracket.

The south aisle, added in the 16th century, includes three coupled windows, a canopied tomb with a brass of Robert Warham and his wife, and a detached altar tomb at the west end featuring two recumbent alabaster figures of a knight and lady from around 1520. The two arches leading into the south aisle are unequal; the western arch is pointed and transitional on round columns with cushion caps, while the other is Perpendicular with a half-hexagon shape and recessed cusped panels. The north aisle is simpler, incorporating features from the south aisle, with two equal pointed arches on circular columns with moulded caps and bases.

The tower arch and the west door date from the 15th century. Inside, the pulpit is made of coloured stonework, and the font is a massive structure in the Norman Revival style. The chancel ceiling is panelled, while the nave features exposed timbers with arch braces and short hammer beams.

Externally, the church is topped with steep red tiled roofing. The walls are constructed of flint with stone dressings, and the aisles have parapets and buttresses. The prominent tower, built in the Perpendicular style, includes a tall octagonal staircase, stepped diagonal buttresses, and a crenellated parapet, all dating from the restoration period. Overall, the Church of St. Leonard is a Victorian church with an orthodox form and finely detailed finishes.