St Leonard's Church, Middleton

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Church of St Leonard, Middleton
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Church of St Leonard, Middleton
53°33′12″N2°11′41″W / 53.5532°N 2.1946°W / 53.5532; -2.1946
LocationNew Lane, Middleton, Greater Manchester
CountryEngland
Denomination Church of England
Website www.middletonparishchurch.org.uk
History
Former nameSt Cuthbert
StatusActive
Founder Thomas Langley
Dedication St Leonard
Consecrated September 1412
Architecture
Functional status Parish church
Heritage designation Grade I listed
Designated15 March 1957
Years built1100, 1412
Administration
Province Province of York
Diocese Diocese of Manchester
Archdeaconry Archdeaconry of Rochdale
Parish Joint benefice of St Leonard, Middleton and St John, Thornham
Clergy
Rector The Revd Alison Bailie
Curate The Revd Adele Bridle
Asst Curate(s)The Revd David Brooks, The Revd Freda Jackson, The Revd Karen Hamnett

St Leonard's is a Church of England parish church in Middleton, a town in the Metropolitan Borough of Rochdale, Greater Manchester, England. Historically part of Lancashire, it is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a Grade I listed building and form part of Middleton's "Golden Cluster" of heritage sites.

Contents

History

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. [1]

The church of St Leonard was enlarged 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. [1]

On 15 March 1957, St Leonard's was designated as a Grade I listed building. [1]

Memorials

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]

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]

"Golden Cluster"

Middleton's "Golden Cluster" refers to a group of historically significant buildings, representing over five centuries of architectural heritage. The cluster includes St Leonard's Church; Ye Olde Boar's Head (Grade II*), a pub with origins dating to 1622; [6] the Queen Elizabeth Grammar School (Grade II*), a significant example of Tudor educational and architectural heritage; [7] and Long Street Methodist Church (Grade II*), designed by architect Edgar Wood, a pioneer of the Arts and Crafts and Art Nouveau movements. [8] Other notable sites include Jubilee Library and several Wood-designed buildings. The Golden Cluster showcases Middleton's links to medieval history, radical reformers, and the Arts and Crafts movement, and is promoted through heritage trails and guided tours. [9]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 Historic England. "Church of St Leonard, Rochdale (Grade I) (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.
  6. ↑ Historic England. "Ye Olde Boars Head Public House (Grade II*) (1162256)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 16 December 2025.
  7. ↑ Historic England. "Former Queen Elizabeth Old Grammar School and adjoining schoolmaster's house (Grade II*) (1356228)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 16 December 2025.
  8. ↑ Historic England. "Long Street Methodist Church Long Street Methodist Sunday School (Grade II*) (1068504)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 16 December 2025.
  9. ↑ "Middleton's Golden Cluster of Heritage". Middleton Heritage. Retrieved 16 December 2025.
St Leonard's from the south St, Leonard, Middleton 2.jpg
St Leonard's from the south
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