Church of St Leonard is a Grade II* listed building in the Swindon local planning authority area, England. First listed on 26 January 1955. A Medieval Church.

Church of St Leonard

WRENN ID
dim-minaret-dale
Grade
II*
Local Planning Authority
Swindon
Constituency
Swindon North MP: Will Stone (Lab)
Country
England
Date first listed
26 January 1955
Type
Church
Period
Medieval
Address
Church of St Leonard, High Street, Blunsdon
OS grid reference
SU 152 907
Coordinates
51.6154, -1.78048
Source
Historic England listing

Also on this page: flood risk · radon risk · weather exposure · detailed attributes ↓

Description

The Church of St Leonard is a Grade II* listed building located in Broad Blunsdon. It features a four-bay nave and a south aisle, with a two-bay chancel. The west tower dates from the 15th century, while the main structure likely originated in the 13th century but underwent significant restoration by architect William Butterfield in 1870. The church is constructed of rubble with a stone slate roof and has dividing buttresses along the nave.

To the left, there is a gabled ashlar porch with a pointed doorway, and a similar doorway with rounded label ends can be found on the north side of the nave. The church contains a variety of windows, most of which have been restored, including a charming small geometrical tracery window dating from around 1300 on the south side. The chancel features a south aisle and a gabled vestry to the north.

The four-stage tower is set on a moulded plinth and is rendered, with a parapet decorated with pierced quatrefoils, likely added around 1870. It has diagonal buttresses, corbel heads at the cornice, and blind tracery above the belfry window heads. The contemporary four-centred arched doorway has an ancient bar and carved spandrels.

Inside, the church has low cylindrical piers with round abaci supporting a double chamfered arcade from around 1300. The roofs include two types of truss rafter former waggon roofs. A 17th-century panelled three-bay screen leads to the tower, featuring a balustraded parapet and a top cartouche. Under the tower, there is a memorial to John Potenger, who died in 1733, created by Peter Scheemakers in marble and adorned with cherubs.

Local climate

Church of St Leonard receives an average of 790 mm of rain a year. This makes it drier than 59% of listed buildings in the UK. Its exposure to wind-driven rain is lower than that of 56% of listed buildings.

It experiences an average of 36 freeze-thaw cycles a year, more than 65% of listed buildings. Of these, 16 follow at least 1 mm of rain in the preceding 48 hours. Average temperatures at this location have risen by 0.3°C per decade since 1991.

Averages for 1991–2020; temperature trend 1991–2025. Figures describe the wider area (a grid cell of roughly 10 km), not the individual site. Contains modified Copernicus Climate Change Service information 2026.

More on this building

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Nearby listed buildings

  1. King Tomb in St Leonard's Churchyard Grade II 9 m
  2. Churchyard Cross Grade II 12 m
  3. Tomb of Robert Litton in St Leonard's Churchyard Grade II 24 m
  4. Manor House Grade II* 63 m
  5. The Rectory Grade II 71 m
  6. 16 and 18, High Street Grade II 148 m
  7. Infant School Village Hall Grade II 159 m
  8. Broad Blunsdon War Memorial Cross Grade II 239 m
  9. West Hill House Grade II 363 m
  10. 2 and 3, Holdcroft Lane Grade II 396 m