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Copyright of Alf Beard

St Leonard's Church,
Chapel Street,
Bledington, Gloucestershire.

Cemeteries

This Church has (or had) a graveyard.

Note: any church within an urban environment may have had its graveyard closed after the Burial Act of 1853. Any new church built after that is unlikely to have had a graveyard at all.

Church History

This Place of Worship was founded in the 12th century, and we understand it is still open.

Kelly's Directory of 1923 describes St Leonard's Church as "an ancient and interesting building of stone, consisting of chancel, clerestoried nave of three bays, south aisle, south porch and an embattled western tower containing a clock and 6 bells". The nave, clerestory and aisles are Perpendicular; the western window is of the Decorated period and the south porch and doorway are Early English. There is a piscina on the south side of the chancel and another in the south aisle. The old stained glass has been collected and rearranged.

The British Listed Buildings website provides the additional information that there is an upright cross finial on gable end of chancel and a 12th century bellcote "comprising two round-arched openings on rectangular piers with quarter columns at corners, flat gable-end coping to gable [and] upright cross finial at apex". This evidently predated the tower, which dates from the 14th century. Perhaps it would have contained the Sanctus Bell.

A Cemetery of a quarter of an acre was created in 1903, and in 1923 was under the control of the Parish Council. It is adjacent to the church, but has a separate entrance.

There may be more information available by by selecting one or more of the accompanying images on the right.

Denomination

Now or formerly Church of England.

If more than one congregation has worshipped here, or its congregation has united with others, in most cases this will record its original dedication.

Maps

This Church is located at OS grid reference SP2450322549. You can see this on various mapping systems. Note all links open in a new window:

• St Leonard's Church, Bledington shown on a Google Map.
• Places of Worship in Bledington shown on a Google Map.
• Streetmap.co.uk (arrow on map shows the Place of Worship's location) (verified 2018-10-15)
• Bing (Ordnance Survey option) (verified 2018-10-13)
• Bing Maps ('Bird's Eye' View) (verified 2018-10-15)
• Ordnance Survey "getamap" (NB some of the 'Change Map' options may require a subscription) (verified 2018-10-15)
• OpenStreetMap (Maps © OpenStreetMap contributors, CC-BY-SA) (verified 2018-10-15)
• A Vision of Britain Through Time - useful for Boundary Changes (verified 2018-10-15)
• www.magic.gov.uk (Modern Maps with various overlays) (verified 2018-10-15)

Resources

I have found many websites of use whilst compiling the information for this database. Here are some which deserve mention as being of special interest for Bledington, and perhaps to Local History and Places of Worship as a whole.

• Learn more about Buildings of special or historical interest on the British Listed Buildings (null) (verified 2018-09-19)

The above links were selected and reviewed at the time I prepared the information, but please be aware their content may vary, or disappear entirely. These factors are outside my control.