Church Of St Leonard

Church of St Leonard

A parish church of Norman origin, substantially rebuilt and restored around 1860 by G.J. Norton, with the tower reconstructed in 1772. The building is constructed of sandstone and limestone rubble with limestone dressings, except for the tower which is of limestone ashlar on a sandstone plinth. The roofs are slate, hipped on the tower, with raised coped verges and cross finials to the nave and chancel.

The church comprises a west tower, nave, north porch, south aisle, chancel and south vestry, designed in the main in Decorated style. The 2-stage tower has a 2-light west window with pointed arch and hood mould. The second stage features paired trefoil-headed windows to the north, south and west, each with a roundel above and wooden bell-louvres. Moulded string courses run around the tower, with a gargoyle and water chute at each corner. The tower has a parapet and coping, a small lucarne to each side of the roof and a cockerel weathervane.

The 3-bay nave has two 2-light windows to the north with trefoil heads, roundels, hood mould and relieving arch. A central gabled porch to the north has a pointed arched opening with stone benches to each side and a pointed arched inner door with chamfered and stopped surround, fitted with decorative strap hinges. A trefoil-headed image niche sits above the door. The roof is of common rafters and collars. The south aisle has a similar 2-light west window and three 2-light windows to the south without roundels. A weathered buttress stands to the right, and the roof is pitched at a different angle from the nave.

The chancel has a 3-light east window with three roundels and hood mould, and a 2-light window to the north to its right. A weathered buttress stands to the left. The north vestry has a similar 2-light east window, a single light and a pointed arched door to the south, with a stack to the south east.

Interior

Inside, a tall pointed tower arch with chamfered surround leads to the nave. The south arcade has three bays with cylindrical columns on plain plinths. A 14th-century corbel appears at the east and west ends of the arcade: the eastern corbel bears vine leaves over a female head, while the western corbel bears fig leaves. The nave roof is of common rafters with collars and lower braces, supporting upper scissors trusses that support a purlin.

The south aisle has a common rafter roof with one purlin. An arched-brace with a pierced wooden panel rises from the south arcade, with a triangular arch leading to the vestry. The vestry roof is of the same construction as the aisle.

The chancel has an arched-brace and collar roof with a moulded collar purlin, one carved angel at the west end, and braces rising from wooden corbels on the wall-plate. A high pointed chamfered chancel arch opens to a pointed arched opening to the vestry, now largely filled by the organ. An aumbry stands to the north. The chancel contains an elaborate carved stone and marble 19th-century reredos.

Fittings and Monuments

The nave contains a Norman font with tiny volutes at the edges and top frieze. Late 19th-century pews, a pulpit and a screen across the south aisle arch are present. A stone hatchment in the tower records gifts to the parish by William Adams in 1815, made by Reeves and Son of Bath. A wooden board in the tower is from the Incorporated Society for Church Buildings.

In the chancel, a marble tablet commemorates Rev. Richard Whalley, who died in 1816, made by Wood of Bristol.

The tower contains several monuments. A marble tablet records Mrs. Elizabeth Cottle, a spinster of Nevis in the West Indies, who died in 1838, made by H. Wood of Bristol. A neo-Greek marble tablet commemorates Rev. Richard Warner, who died in 1834, made by Reeves and Son of Bath. A marble tablet records Mrs. Rebecca Warner, who died in 1844, made by Reeves of Bath. Other monuments include a stone tablet with cherubs to Thomas Peterson, 1771; a stone tablet to Richard Colter, 1744; a stone tablet to Abraham James, 1754; a slate tablet with gold-painted cherubs to Roger Lyde, 1760; and a marble monument with draped urn to Martha Adams, 1795, made by Reeves and Son of Bath.

Windows contain fragments of 16th-century Flemish glass in the south aisle, bearing inscriptions in Old French. Other windows are lattice glazed.