St Leonard's Church, Warmingham facts for kids

Quick facts for kids St Leonard's Church, Warmingham
St Leonard's Church, Warmingham, from the south
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OS grid reference	SJ 709 611
Location	Warmingham, Cheshire
Country	England
Denomination	Anglican
Website	Warmingham, St Leonard
History
Dedication	St Leonard
Architecture
Heritage designation	Grade II*
Designated	12 January 1967
Architect(s)	R. C. Hussey
Architectural type	Church
Style	Gothic Revival
Completed	1899
Specifications
Materials	Red sandstone squared rubble with a slate roof Brick tower with stone dressings
Administration
Parish	Warmingham
Deanery	Congleton
Archdeaconry	Macclesfield
Diocese	Chester
Province	York

St Leonard's Church is a beautiful old church located in the village of Warmingham, Cheshire, England. It's a very important building, recognized as a Grade II* listed building. This means it's a special historical place! The church is still active today, serving as an Anglican parish church. It's part of the Diocese of Chester.

History of St Leonard's Church

The oldest part of St Leonard's Church is its tower, which was built way back in 1715. The rest of the church was originally made with a wooden frame. Later, in 1870, it was rebuilt using stone by an architect named R. C. Hussey. The windows in the tower were updated in 1899 to match the Gothic style of the rest of the church.

Church Architecture

Outside the Church

The church tower is made of small bluish bricks. The rest of the church is built from red sandstone blocks and has a slate roof. The tower stands at the west end of the church. The church has a cruciform shape, which means it looks like a cross from above. It has a main area called the nave and a smaller section called the chancel. There are also short transepts, which are like arms extending from the sides, and a porch on the north side.

The tower has a stone plinth (a base), stone quoins (corner stones), and stone bands that divide it into four sections. You can see clock faces on the north and south sides. On the west side, there's a round "bullseye" window. Above these are two-light openings for the bells. At the very top, there's a decorative moulded cornice and a crenellated parapet (a wall with gaps like a castle). It also has pointed decorations called crocketted pinnacles. The rest of the church, apart from the tower, is built in the Perpendicular style, which is a type of Gothic design.

Inside the Church

Inside, the choirstalls (where the choir sits) have special carved decorations called poppyheads. The font, used for baptisms, is made of carved oak and dates back to the 16th century.

The beautiful stained glass windows in the south transept and the east window were made by Maréchal and Champigneule from Metz in 1870. The windows in the north transept and the south aisle were created by Heaton, Butler and Bayne in 1878.

The church also has several memorials. One is a fancy Rococo monument for William Vernon, who passed away in 1732. Other memorials include a rectangular brass plate for Rev William Lingards (who died in 1620), a marble tablet with an oval panel for Rev Randulph Crewe (who died in 1777), and another marble tablet for Ralph Vernon (who died in 1798). You can also find a wooden board from 1755 that lists donations made to the church.

Outside the Church Grounds

In the churchyard, there's the base of a medieval cross. It dates from around 1298 or even later. This cross base is made of red sandstone. It has a two-step base with a sloped block on top. This block holds a short Tuscan column, which has fittings for a sundial on its top. This medieval cross base is also a Grade II listed building and is considered a scheduled monument, meaning it's a nationally important historical site.

More Information

• Grade II* listed buildings in Cheshire East
• Listed buildings in Warmingham