Church of St Leonard

Details

SP 58 SE MISTERTON -

4/20 Church of St Leonard 11/01/55 GV II*

Parish Church. C14, restored 1863 by William Smith. Coursed limestone and sandstone, with ashlar dressings. Lead roofs. West tower with spire, nave, north and south aisles, south porch, chancel. Continuous moulded plinth. Buttresses with set-offs. 3-stage tower with 2 string courses, cornice and ashlar broach spire. Angle buttresses. West elevation: double-moulded, pointed arch doorway, with hoodmould and double plank doors. Above in 3rd stage, a chamfered, pointed arch 2-light louvred bell-opening with hoodmould. North and east elevations with bell-openings. South elevation with bell-opening and plain, single-light window in 2nd stage. Octagonal spire has a 2-light louvred lucarne with pointed hood, and a smaller, single-light, louvred lucarne with pointed hood above, on 4 faces. Weathercock. Nave has coped parapet, cross finial on east gable and chimney stack on east wall. Clerestory: five 2-light windows in chamfered square frames. North aisle has coped parapet with 2 crocketed corner finials, and blank quatrefoil frieze along parapet. West wall has buttress against tower, and chamfered, pointed arch 3-light window with flowing tracery and hoodmould with headstops. North wall from west to east: diagonal buttress, followed by a moulded, pointed arch doorway with hoodmould and plank door, then a buttress , followed by a moulded, pointed arch 3-light window with reticulated tracery and hoodmould, then another buttress, another similar window, and a buttress with a small trefoiled niche with fluting above, and rising to crocketed finial. East wall has a moulded, pointed arch 4-light window with reticulated tracery. South aisle has embattled parapet and south-west diagonal buttress with crocketed finial. West wall has moulded, pointed arch 3-light window with intersecting tracery and hoodmould. South wall from west to east: diagonal buttress, then restored 2-storey south porch with concave cornice, diagonal buttresses and wide, double-chamfered, pointed arch doorway with hoodmould and C19 double gates. Above, 2-light window with chamfered square frame, flanked by 2 shallow, trefoiled niches with crockets. Porch inside vaulted with chamfered ribs. Heavily moulded, pointed arch south doorway with C19 double doors decorated with tracery. To east again, a chamfered, pointed arch, 3-light window with flowing tracery and hoodmould, followed by a buttress, then a similar window with hoodmould with left headstop, and a buttress with a small trefoiled niche, and finial above. East wall has moulded, pointed arch, 3-light window with reticulated tracery and hoodmould. Chancel has embattled parapet with cross finial on east gable. North wall, from west to east: a moulded, pointed arch, 3-light window with intersecting tracery and hoodmould, then a priest's doorway with chamfered, four-centred arch with flat hoodmould, and plank door. Then a moulded, four-centred arch, 3-light window with trefoiled lights and hoodmould, followed by a similar 3-light window with cinque foiled lights, then a buttress. South wall from west to east: a moulded, four- centred arch, 3-light window with trefoiled lights and hoodmould, followed by another, similar 3-light window with cinquefoiled lights, then a buttress. East wall has a moulded, four-centred arch, 5-light window with cinquefoiled lights and hoodmould, flanked by buttress. INTERIOR: triple-chamfered, pointed tower arch. 4-bay nave arcades with double-chamfered, pointed arches, with continuous hoodmould and tall polygonal piers. C19 double-chamfered, pointed chancel arch with hoodmould with headstops. Inner arch in polychromatic stone work, on moulded corbels. North aisle has continuous hoodmould linking all 3 windows. South aisle has a chamfered, pointed arch doorway with plank door, leading to upper storey of porch, to west of south door. To east of south door a low sepulchre with double-moulded ogee arch, above a small trefoiled niche. Window sill sedile and trefoiled piscina in south east corner. East window has hoodmould with head stops. Chancel has ogee-arched and crocketed sedilia with crocketed finials, and piscina, in south-east corner. Late C19, carved marble reredos. C19 octagonal drum font on octagonal plinth. C19 altar rails, chairs, desk, stalls, organ, pulpit, south aisle altar, lectern. C19 pews with re-used C16 bench ends in nave, decorated with tracery and branches, and C16 panels re- used as bench fronts in south aisle. C18 parish chest. MONUMENTS: chancel: C16 alabaster alter tomb with recumbent effigy in armour with helmet, Crowned with a saracen's head, and lion at feet. Shields around sides. Marginal inscription reads, Here lies buried Michael Poultney Esq; sometime Lord of Misterton and Poultney, who departed out this world 22 May AD 1567, on whose soul the Lord hath taken mercy. Another alabaster altar tomb close by has black top and shields in strapwork cartouches on sides. Inscribed to the memory of John Poultney (d.1637) with 18 lines of commemorative poetry. Mid C19-marble wall memorial on south wall. Late C19 marble wall memorial on north wall above door. Early C19 marble wall memorial also on north wall, between 2 windows. Large WWI stone memorial on north wall of north aisle, with a figure at each end. WWII wall memorial below. Late C19 wall plaque referring to donation of organ also on north wall. C19 roofs with brattished trusses. Stone slab and C19 polychromatic tile flooring. C19 stained glass. (Buildings of England: Leicestershire: p. 321)

Listing NGR: SP5570283990

Legacy

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

Legacy System number:

191432

Legacy System:

LBS

Sources

Books and journals
Pevsner, N, Williamson, E, The Buildings of England: Leicestershire and Rutland, (1984), 321

End of official list entry

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