Description

SO 81 SE UPTON ST LEONARDS CHURCHFIELD ROAD
(west side)

6/177 Church of St. Leonard

10.1.55

GV II*

Parish church. Late C13; C15 tower; C19 enlargements of 1835 by
Thomas Fulljames; 1849 by Henry Woodyer; 1850 by Francis
Niblett; and 1889 by Waller and Son. Coursed rubble and ashlar
limestone; stone slate roof. Nave with north and south aisles and
west tower; chancel with north and south chapels; south vestry.
C19 pointed-arched south doorway with hood; Cl9 porch with parapet
gable and diagonal buttresses; pointed porch arch with trefoil
panel over, arched collar truss porch roof; internal stone seats
below trefoil-headed side lancets. North aisle: C19 three-light
window with Decorated tracery to left of porch; 2-light to right;
parapet gable to east end with diagonal corner buttress; off-
centre 2-light C19 east aisle window with Decorated tracery;
circular window in gable with quatrefoil tracery; 3-light C19 west
aisle window with geometrical tracery. North chapel: early C14
with C19 restored east 2-light; single trefoil lancet to north
side. Parapet gabled east chancel wall with diagonal offset
buttresses; 2 east trefoil lancets; two C19 trefoil lancets to
south chancel wall under combined hood. Parapet east gable to
south chapel with east window all C19; vestry projects to left with
south parapet gable; 2-light east trefoil lancet to vestry;
cinquefoil to south vestry doorway with C19 plank door; 3-light
with ogee trefoil lancets to left, below continuation of parapet.
South aisle: C19 with lower pitched parapet roofs than rest of
church; 3 large 4-light late Perpendicular style windows in offset
buttressed south aisle wall; set-back buttresses to south west
corner; 2-light trefoil lancet window over west Norman doorway,
reset from elsewhere in church and largely C19 restoration having
attached columns with scalloped capitals, enriched imposts, arch
with dogtooth ornament within roll moulding and plain tympanum;
plank door with moulded cover strips. C19 restored 3-stage tower
with diagonal offset buttresses; large continuous plinth moulding
interrupted by pointed-arched west doorway with stoup bracket to
left; moulded cover strip plank door; C19 restored Decorated west
window over. Scattered chamfered rectangular openings to lower and
middle stages; large 2-light stone louvred belfry openings with
Perpendicular tracery; 2 gargoyles to each tower face between 2
string courses; crenellated parapet with trefoil-headed lancet
panelling; tall corner pinnacles with crocket enrichment. Double
bellcote to east parapet gable of nave moved in C19 from north
chapel. Spacious interior with wide aisles added to nave in C19;
south aisle of 1835 in style of Commissioner's Church with 3-bay
Perpendicular arcade having 4-centred arches on octagonal columns;
6-bay aisle roof with flat roof trusses. North aisle of 1850 is
High Victorian with arcade of 2 large, flanked by 2 small pointed
arches with chamfered archivolts from corbels to responds and
piers; aisle roof of 2 large and 2 small bays as arcade, with
arched scissor-braced trusses supported on carved stone angel
corbels each bearing blank shield. C19 restored braced collar nave
roof. C19 chancel arch appears mishapen with very small archivolt
corbels; 2-bay arcades to north and south sides of chancel; 3-bay
arched braced collar truss roof with cusped apex strutting and
arched windbracing, all Cl9. Two sedilia to south chancel wall;
raised tiled altar floor; mosaic reredos; and iron screen to north
chapel all by Woodyer. C19 trefoil-headed piscina to south side of
chancel; Cl9 altar rail and choir stalls. Wagon roof to north
chapel; panelled roof with brattished wall plate to south chapel.
Nave pews by Waller; C19 octagonal pulpit with carved inset
panels; round Norman bowl font on later moulded circular base.
Large memorial by THOMAS RICKETTS of GLOS. in north chapel to S
THOMAS SNELL, died 1754: neoclassical sarcophagus surmounted by urn
stands on large pedestal with gadrooned and moulded sides;
alongside sarcophagus is putto standing by urn; further putto
lying behind; details of SNELL'S charity on south side of
sarcophagus. Memorial on north chapel wall to JAMES STEERS, died
1817, by Wood of Gloucester: oval inscription panel surmounted by
urn. (Memorial almost hidden by organ). Inscription panel with
obelisk shape over on north nave arcade is memorial to SAMUEL
SMITH, died 1794. Momument to JOHN DEARMAN BIRCHALL, died 1897, on
north chapel wall has alabaster frame with mosaic inlay. Set of
Cl9 stained glass by various designers: south chancel windows by
Thomas Willement; 2 east chancel lancets of 1849 by William Wailes
of Newcastle; south chapel east window of 1905 by Bosdet of
Chiswick; north aisle west window of 1859 by David Evans of
Shrewsbury. Little of the late C13 church survives, but extensive
Victorian additions and rebuilding are of a good quality. (D.
Verey, Gloucestershire: The Vale and the Forest of Dean, 1976).

Listing NGR: SO8621614943

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Wikidata Q17538095

External links are from the relevant listing authority and, where applicable, Wikidata. Wikidata IDs may be related buildings as well as this specific building. If you want to add or update a link, you will need to do so by editing the Wikidata entry.

Recommended Books

• 
  Listed Buildings: The Law and Practice of Historic Buildings, Ancient Monuments and Conservation Areas
• 
  Building Small Projects (New Best of Fine Woodworking)
• 
  Northumberland (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Devon (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Maintaining and Repairing Old Houses: A Guide to Conservation, Sustainability and Economy
• 
  Churches: An Architectural Guide (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Introductions)