St Leonard's Church

This list entry was subject to a Minor Amendment on 22 July 2025 to update the Name and Address and reformat the text to current standards

SX 56 NE 18/107

SHEEPSTOR SHEEPSTOR St Leonard's Church

(Formerly listed as Church (dedication unknown))

21.3.67

GV I

Parish church. Circa late C15. Restored in 1862. Granite rubble wall, tower constructed of granite ashlar. Gable ended slate roof.

Plan: nave, chancel, south aisle and very shallow north transept, possibly containing the Elford family pew, west tower and south porch. Restored in 1862 when rood screen was removed.

Good three stage west tower which is battlemented with crenellated and crocketted pinnacles. Moulded stringcourses and plinth. Two-light belfry openings have cinquefoiled heads with a quatrefoil in between. Four-centred arched west doorway of Roborough stone is heavily moulded with incised leaf design in spandrels and square hood-mould. Tall three-light west window of Roborough stone has Perpendicular tracery. On the north side of the tower is a pentagonal stair turret. The two-light north windows to the aisle are all restored. The very shallow north transept has a two-light late C15 window of Roborough stone with cinquefoiled heads. To the left of the transept is a shallow projection originally probably for the rood stairs. The east window is three-light with Perpendicular tracery but has been restored apart from its jambs. The south aisle has a three-light Perpendicular east window of Roborough stone. Its south wall has four two-light Perpendicular windows alternating with granite ashlar buttresses. Single storey gabled south porch has similar doorway to tower. Above it is a recess containing a grotesque carved stone in the form of a skull holding cross-bones in its mouth with ears of corn coming out of its eye sockets and an hourglass below.

Interior: four-centred arched granite south doorway with broad chamfer and straight cut stops. Five bay granite arcade to south aisle of Pevsner A-type piers and depressed four-centred double-chamfered arches. Similar chancel and transept arch. Tower arch is tall and more pointed.

Good modern rood screen of 1914 which is an exact replica of the original removed in 1862. C20 scissor brace roofs.

Probably C15 granite octagonal font with panelled pedestal and high relief shields on sides of bowl.

Two C17 memorials on north wall. One of 1641 to Elizabeth Elford, made of alabaster with a figure of the lady semi-reclining, her baby beside her on the couch and three kneeling daughters by the bedside. The other a slate plaque commemorating members of the Elford family who were gentry of the parish; it has seven shields at the top carrying the arms of various members of the family.

Listing NGR: SX5601167651