Description

SK 5804 LEICESTER CASTLE YARD
718/2/26 Church of St Mary
de Castro
5.1.50

GV I

Church. Founded cll07 by first Earl of Leicester as collegiate chapel attached to the castle. Early C13 and early C14, altered C15 and 1785 by John Cheshire, restored 1853-4 by Sir George Gilbert Scott additions 1899 by GF Bodley.
MATERIALS: coursed rubble and ashlar with ashlar dressings and lead roofs.
PLAN: nave with north aisle and south aisle with clerestory, south porch and tower with tall spire, chancel and north transept and vestry.
EXTERIOR: west front has centra16-light pointed arch window and to left round headed doorway with zig-zag moulding. T o right tall square tower with a single small lancet to each face and octagonal stair turret to south-west corner. Bell stage has 5 bay blind arcading with central 2-light bell opening to each face and battlements with tall corner pinnacles. Above octagonal stone spire with crockets and alternating lucarnes. South front has single lancet to lett and projecting gabled porch with triple pointed arch doorway and double doors with elaborate iron hinges and to right 4 pointed arch windows with reticulated tracery and alternating buttresses plus above eight 3-light windows with 4-centred arch heads. East front has to south aisle a large 7 -light pointed arch window, added 1847, with reticulated tracery. Chancel has 2 large round headed windows with zig-zag moulding and above a similar blind arch, plus 2 similar windows to south. North front has central round headed doorway to aisle with double arch decorated with zig-zag moulding and supported on 2 columns, above small round headed niche. Either side 2 pointed arch windows. Gabled north transept has 3-light pointed arch window and beyond set-back vestry with two 3-light 4-centred arch windows. Chancel has 5 round headed windows with zig-zag moulding to arches, linking impost band and columns.
INTERIOR: has in chancel important round headed piscina and elaborate triple arched sedilia. South aisle has triple pointed arched sedilia. 4 bay nave arcade with moulded and pointed arches, south arcade topped with internal clerestory made up of single deeply chamfered pointed arches. Wooden roofs C16 restored C19. Fittings include C19 wooden pews and organ case. Wooden parclose screen to chancel. C13 stone font. Fine reredos added 1899. Monuments include wall monument with figure of The Rev Thomas Robinson by J Bacon junior.

Listing NGR: SK5828504188

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Church of St Mary de Castro, Leicester at Wikipedia
• Church of St Mary de Castro, Leicester official website
• Wikidata Q5117570

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

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  Wiltshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
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  Specifications for Building Conservation: Volume 1: External Structure: Practical Examples v. 2
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  Historic Environment Law: Planning, Listed Buildings, Monuments, Conservation Areas and Objects, Supplement 2014