St Leonard's Church, Middleton

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

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
StatusActive
Architecture
Functional statusParish church
Heritage designationGrade I listed
Administration
ArchdeaconryArchdeaconry of Rochdale
DioceseDiocese of Manchester
ProvinceProvince of York
Clergy
RectorThe Revd Martin Short
Asst Curate(s)The Revd David Brooks
The Revd Freda Jackson

Much of the present building was erected in 1412 by Thomas Langley (born in Middleton in 1363) who served as 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 part of the world is the wooden belfry tower.

The church of St Leonard was completed in 1524 by Sir Richard Assheton, in celebration of the knighthood granted to him by Henry VIII 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 area, including the only brass in the UK of an English Civil War officer in full armour, Major-General Sir Ralph Assheton. In 1958 George Pace added a new north porch and vestries. He also installed light fittings, and designed a memorial to the First World War.[3]

In the extension of the churchyard are the war graves of two First World War soldiers, and an airman from the Second World War.[4]

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. "History", St Leonard's Church, Middleton, retrieved 1 August 2013
  4. "Middleton (St. Leonard) Churchyard Extension". Commonwealth War Graves Commission. Retrieved 6 February 2013.
St Leonard's from the south
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