St Leonard's Church, Middleton

St Leonard's is a Church of England parish church in Middleton, Greater Manchester, England. It is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a Grade I listed building.[1]

Church of St Leonard, Middleton
Church of St Leonard, Middleton is located in Greater Manchester
Church of St Leonard, Middleton
Church of St Leonard, Middleton
53.5532°N 2.1946°W / 53.5532; -2.1946
LocationMiddleton, Greater Manchester
CountryEngland
DenominationChurch of England
Websitewww.middletonparishchurch.org.uk
History
Former name(s)St Cuthbert
StatusActive
Founder(s)Thomas Langley
DedicationSt Leonard
ConsecratedSeptember 1412
Architecture
Functional statusParish church
Heritage designationGrade I listed
Years built1100, 1412
Specifications
Administration
ProvinceProvince of York
DioceseDiocese of Manchester
ArchdeaconryArchdeaconry of Rochdale
Parishjoint benefice of St Leonard, Middleton and St John, Thornham
Clergy
RectorThe Revd Alison Bailie
Curate(s)The Revd Adele Bridle
Asst Curate(s)The Revd David Brooks, The Revd Freda Jackson, The Revd Karen Hamnett

Much of the present building was erected in 1412 by Thomas Langley (born in Middleton in 1363) who was Bishop of Durham and Lord Chancellor of England. He re-used the Norman doorway from an earlier structure to create the tower arch. Also distinctive in this region is the weather-boarded top stage to the tower.

The church of St Leonard was enlarged in 1524 by Sir Richard Assheton, in celebration of the knighthood granted to him by Henry VIII of England for his part in the Battle of Flodden in 1513. The Flodden Window, in the sanctuary, is thought to be the oldest war memorial in the UK.[2] It commemorates on it the names of the Middleton archers who fought at Flodden. The church also has one of the finest collections of monumental brasses in the north of England, including the only brass in the UK depicting an English Civil War officer in full armour, Major-General Ralph Assheton. George Pace designed a war memorial and, in 1958, added a choir vestry and installed new lighting.[3][4][1]

In the extension of the churchyard are the war graves of two First World War soldiers, and an airman from the Second World War.[5]

See also

References

  1. Historic England. "Church of St Leonard, Rochdale (1162332)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 9 July 2013.
  2. Mountford, Emma (7 September 2006). "World's oldest war memorial nears milestone". Middleton Guardian. M.E.N. Media. Archived from the original on 25 September 2012. Retrieved 30 June 2008.
  3. Hartwell, Clare; Hyde, Matthew; Pevsner, Nikolaus (2004). Lancashire: Manchester and the South-East. The Buildings of England. New Haven, CT; London, England: Yale University Press. pp. 507–508. ISBN 0-300-10583-5.
  4. History, St Leonard's Church, Middleton, retrieved 1 August 2013
  5. "Middleton (St. Leonard) Churchyard Extension". Commonwealth War Graves Commission. Retrieved 6 February 2013.
St Leonard's from the south
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