Old St Leonard's Church, Langho facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Old St Leonard's Church, Langho |
|
|---|---|
Old St Leonard's Church, Langho, from the southeast
|
|
| Lua error in Module:Location_map at line 420: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value). | |
| OS grid reference | SD 701 359 |
| Location | Langho, Lancashire |
| Country | England |
| Denomination | Anglican |
| Website | Churches Conservation Trust |
| History | |
| Founded | 1557 |
| Architecture | |
| Functional status | Redundant |
| Heritage designation | Grade I |
| Designated | 24 November 1966 |
| Architectural type | Church |
| Style | Gothic |
| Groundbreaking | 1557 |
| Completed | 1879 |
| Specifications | |
| Materials | Sandstone, stone slate roof |
Old St Leonard's Church is a very old Anglican church located about 1.6 kilometers (1 mile) northwest of Langho, a village in Lancashire, England. It's no longer used for regular church services, which is why it's called a "redundant" church. This special building is protected as a Grade I listed building, meaning it's very important historically. The Churches Conservation Trust looks after it today.
Church History
The church was built in 1557. This was a time when not many new churches were being built in England. This was soon after the Protestant Reformation, a big change when the Church of England separated from the Pope.
It is believed that many of the stones and some of the church's inside parts came from Whalley Abbey. This abbey was a large monastery nearby that was closed down during the Dissolution of the Monasteries. This happened when King Henry VIII took control of religious buildings.
In 1879, the church was repaired and updated. During this time, a small room called a vestry was added. A vestry is a room in a church where clergy prepare for services.
In 1880, a new church was built and opened in Langho. This new church was also named after St Leonard. The village population had grown and moved closer to the railway line. Because of this, the new church was built in a more central spot. The old church is still used a few times each year for special events. The Churches Conservation Trust officially took over the care of the old church on 1 July 1990.
Church Design
Old St Leonard's Church is built from sandstone and has a roof made of stone slates. The church has a simple layout. It includes a main area called a nave and a chancel, which is the part of the church near the altar. There is also a small room on the north side called a vestry and a porch on the south side.
At the west end of the church, on the pointed part of the roof (called a gable), there is a small structure called a bell cote. This holds the church bell. On the east gable, there is a cross.
The window at the west end has four sections of glass. It features a design called Perpendicular tracery, which is a pattern of stone bars. The north and south walls each have two windows with three sections of glass. The east window, which was added in the 1800s, also has three sections. Inside, on the south wall, there is a small basin called a piscina. This was used for washing sacred vessels. On the north wall, there is a stoup, which is a small basin for holy water.
Outside the Church
The churchyard, which is the area around the church, contains war graves. These are the burial sites of a soldier and an airman who died during World War I.
See also
- Grade I listed buildings in Lancashire
- Listed buildings in Billington and Langho
- List of churches preserved by the Churches Conservation Trust in Northern England
- New St Leonard's Church, Langho
