Description

BIRDINGBURY FRANKTON ROAD
SP46NW (East side)
5/7 Church of St. Leonard
06/10/60
GV II
Church. Mid/late C18. Enlarged, altered and gothicised 1873. Limestone ashlar
with plinth, and sill course and moulded cornice to north and south sides. Apse
of rock-faced, regular coursed stone with ashlar dressings. Tile roof has coped
gable parapets with moulded kneelers, and ridge cresting; cupola has lead roof.
Apse, nave and chancel partly in one, narthex and west cupola. Classical and
Gothic Revival styles. 3 bays, with one-bay apse. Classical west front of yellow
stone has 4 Tuscan pilasters and pediment surmounted by cupola. Moulded fielded
6-panelled door in moulded stone architrave with cornice. Cupola has
round-arched bell openings and finial with weathervane. Polygonal apse of 1873
has splayed plinth and sill course. 2-light windows have simple plate tracery
with continuous hood mould. Hipped roof has metal finial. North and south sides
have 2-light chancel window with plate tracery and hood mould. Paired lancets
with continous hood moulds. Narthex has small lancets, with small single light
below on north side. Interior: Early English style chancel has triple shafts and
stiff leaf sill frieze to apse. Elaborately painted rib vault has Christ in
Majesty, angels, and patterns. Piscina and sedilia have trefoiled round arches
and granite shafts. Apse arch of 2 moulded orders, the outer with shafts, the
inner with colonnettes and stiff leaf and head capitals. Outer part of chancel
has stiff leaf frieze. Windows throughout have attached shafts. Painted panelled
deep coved and barrel vaulted roof has roof truss on colonnettes forming chancel
arch. Nave has panelled crown post roof. West wall has 3 arches with gallery in
upper part. Round arched double-leaf 6-panelled doors. Gallery fronts have 2
fielded panels and dentil cornice. Fittings: C18 stone font has baluster stem
with gadrooned base and leaf-moulded bowl. C18 octagonal pulpit has marquetry
and dentil cornice. Fielded panelled box pews. Screen, lectern, chancel stalls
and altar rails of 1873. C18 carved and gilded royal arms panel on gallery. The
rebuilding was at the expense of the Reverend R. Hickman.
(V.C.H.: Warwickshire, Vol.6, 1892, p.38; Buildings of England: Warwickshire,
p.96; Kelly's Directory of Warwickshire, p.38).

Listing NGR: SP4323068633

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Wikidata Q26286518

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

• 
  Hampshire: South (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Period Property Manual (New Ed)
• 
  Pioneers of Modern Design: From William Morris to Walter Gropius (Penguin Art & Architecture)
• 
  Historic Environment Law: Planning, Listed Buildings, Monuments, Conservation Areas and Objects by Harwood, Richard (2012) Paperback
• 
  Sussex: East with Brighton and Hove (Buildings of England) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Harrow on the Hill: A photographic portrayal of listed buildings and structures (Historic Buildings Picture Guides)