Church of St Leonard

Details

YANWORTH STOWELL PARK SP 01 SE 7/101 Church of St. Leonard 26.1.61 GV I Presumed former private chapel for lords' of Stowell Park. C12, Transitional, C13, C17, restored 1898 by C. Hodgson Fowler. Nave limestone rubble, ashlar around south door and at west end. North transept coursed squared and dressed limestone, chancel mostly limestone rubble incorporating large squared and dressed blocks. South transept limestone rubble. Stone slate roof. Cruciform plan; nave, north and south transepts and chancel, formerly with central tower (now collapsed and re-roofed). Nave south wall; C20 plank door with fillets within C12 surround with plain recessed semi-circular tympanum with moulded imposts and semi-circular chamfered hood. Ashlar masonry around doorway stands proud of rest of south wall. C19 two-light hollow-moulded stone-mullioned casement with cinquefoil-headed lights and stopped hood left of door. Nave west wall; central canted buttress pierced by small round-headed C12 window. Buttress forms a point at top, grotesque beast's head at top. Remains of chamfered string above. Nave north wall; narrow blocked north door with shouldered dressed stone surround. North transept, rebuilt C17 after collapse of tower. West wall; 2-light hollow-chamfered stone-mullioned casement with cinquefoil-headed lights and stopped hood. Gable end lit by 2-light pointed window with cinquefoil-headed lights, dagger and stopped hood. East wall; C19 plank door to vestry with C19 flat-chamfered dressed stone surround to vestry. Chancel north wall; ashlar buttress far right. Decorated 2-light east window with trefoil-headed lights and quatrefoil with stopped hood., South wall; C19 two-light stone-mullioned casement with trefoil- headed lights and tracery. Diagonal buttress with offsets at junction with south transept. Gable end of south transept lit by Decorated 2-light window as at east end of chancel. Small C13 lancet in west wall of south transept. The south side of the church bears five incised scratch sundials; on the south-west angle of the transept, beside the east jamb of the south door, two on the left jamb and one on the west angle of the nave. Roof; flat coping at gable end of chancel. Stopped coping at west end of nave and at gable ends of north and south transept. Upright cross finials at gable ends of chancel, north transept and south transept. Elaborate stone saddle with ogee-curved trefoil decoration at gable end of nave. Tile hung open-sided bell turret at east end of nave with tall curved pyramidal roof. Cross gabled roof over former central tower. Interior; plastered with fragments of wall paintings. Pointed Transitional, double-chamfered, arches to crossing. West arch with carved capitals showing development towards stiff stalk carving. Similar columns and capitals (lacking decorative carving) facing into transepts. Engaged columns facing into crossing. C19 roof with arch-braced collar to nave. Ceilings of crossing and transepts panelled, carved wooden bosses within crossing. Panelled C19 roof rising to point with curving foliate carving at apex. Stone flag flooring, plank flooring in transepts. Two steps up to chancel. Flat-chamfered trefoil-headed piscina in south wall of south transept. Blocked tall narrow flat-chamfered doorway (presumably formerly giving access to tower) in north wall of chancel just inside chancel arch. Mutilated C14 pointed arched Easter sepulchre in same wall near altar. Piscina with flat- chamfered shouldered surround with moulded steps, with trefoil- headed credence shelf above, in south wall of chancel. Furniture and fittings; C13 octagonal stone font at west end of nave. Pews and pulpit C20 oak. Vestry in north transept divided from remainder of church by C20 carved oak screen. C20 brass eagle lectern. Reputedly pre-conquest scratch sundial on sill of south window of south transept. Monuments; grey marble monument to Lady Annabella Howe, widow of John Howe of Compton, died 1703/4 in chancel left of Easter sepulchre. Grey marble monument on wall opposite to Mrs. Anne Morgan, died 1712. Large portion of Doom wall painting of c1150-1200 on north wall of nave depicting the Heavenly Court at top with Our Lady seated at the centre flanked either side by the Apostles, arranged in pairs, in an arcade of round-headed arches watching the sifting of the souls below. Fragments of two more wall paintings of similar date within south transept. These paintings are particularly well preserved examples of an early date. Traces of painting incorporating foliate motifs on inside of tympanum over south door. C19 stained glass east window. (Ref; Transactions of B.G.A.S 1984, concerning wall paintings in south transept; and David Verey, The Buildings of England; The Cotswolds, 1979)

Listing NGR: SP0874413072

Legacy

The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.

Legacy System number:

130097

Legacy System:

LBS

Sources

Books and journals
Verey, D, The Buildings of England: Gloucestershire 1 The Cotswolds, (1970)
Transactions of the Bristol and Gloucestershire Archaeological Society in Transactions of the Bristol and Gloucestershire Archaeological Society, (1984)

Other
Register of Parks and Gardens of Special Historic Interest in England, Part 16 Gloucestershire,

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