Church Of St Leonard

BATSFORD LOWER LEMINGTON SP 23 SW 5/19 Church of St. Leonard 25.8.60 I Anglican church. C12 nave; Early English chancel; C19 vestry and porch. Nave: pebble-dashed uncoursed limestone rubble. Buttressed on south and west. Chancel: pebble-dashed roughly coursed limestone rubble. Limestone slate roof and limestone coping rising to C12-13 bellcote with single bell inscribed 'Richard Sanders made me, 1722' at east end. Vestry: coursed squared and dressed with thin limestone slate roof and limestone gable coping and ashlar chimney. Porch: coursed squared and dressed limestone with limestone slate roof. Plan: nave with south porch and vestry to north chancel. Exterior: nave south wall: two 2-light stone-mullioned windows with Decorated tracery and stopped hoods, flanking porch. Left window C19 replacement. Right hand window C14. Similar in north wall and north wall of vestry, single original lancet window left of vestry. 2-light C19 traceried window in west wall. Chancel south wall: 2-light C17 stone-mullioned window with stilted arched heads to lights and stopped hood left. 2-light stone-mullioned window, right. 2-light east window with Early English tracery and hood. Two original lancets in north wall. All windows with leaded panes. Porch: C19 studded plank door within flat-chamfered stilted arched doorway. Stepped gabled coping to chancel. Flat gable coping to vestry with decorative octagonal chimney also. Interior: simple nave with C12 south door with chevron-ornamented arch with scalloped capitals. Plain, C12 round-headed north doorway now opening into vestry. Low narrow round-headed chancel arch with moulded imposts and scratched sanctus crosses on right jamb. Small irregular squints to either side of arch. Two steps up to chancel, one up to sanctuary. Stone flagged floor to all. C13-14 roof with wind braces and cambered tie with moulded soffit and braced collar above, Chancel: continuous roll-moulded string forming window sills on north and south. C17 queen-post roof. Nave fittings: small C19 octagonal font with wooden canopy and C19 accordian at rear of church. C18 hexagonal panelled wooden pulpit and reading desk in south east corner. Pulpit retains original integral candleholders. 3 circular hanging candelabras and 7 pole candle-holders with simple scroll decoration set within pews. Candles form the only lighting within the church. Stained glass by Nuttgens, 1935 in west window. C19 stained glass in 2 other windows in nave. Chancel: C12 tub font in south west corner. Early plank built chest against north wall. Chair left of altar made of C13 bench ends. C20 altar and altar rails. 4 wooden plaques with religious inscriptions on east wall. Table of kindred over chancel arch. Small simple brass plate in floor in front of altar to Charles and Peter Greville, dated 1636. (David Verey, The Buildings of England: The Cotswolds, 1979).

Listing NGR: SP2189334530