Description

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

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Church of St Leonard at Wikipedia
• Wikidata Q17524679

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

• 
  Oxfordshire: North and West (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  The green guide for historic buildings: how to improve the environmental performance of listed and historic buildings
• 
  London 4: North: North v. 4 (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  London 3: North West: North West v. 3 (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Wiltshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Bedfordshire, Huntingdonshire, and Peterborough (Pevsner Architectural Guides) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)