Description

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

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Wikidata Q17540250

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

• 
  Warwickshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Old House Handbook: A Practical Guide to Care and Repair
• 
  Worcestershire Revised Edition (Buildings of England) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Pioneers of Modern Design: From William Morris to Walter Gropius (Penguin Art & Architecture)
• 
  Bedfordshire, Huntingdonshire, and Peterborough (Pevsner Architectural Guides) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  The Shredded Chef: 120 Recipes for Building Muscle, Getting Lean, and Staying Healthy