St Leonard's Church, Middleton

Coordinates: 53°33′12″N 2°11′41″W / 53.5532°N 2.1946°W / 53.5532; -2.1946
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Church of St Leonard, Middleton
Archdeaconry 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

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]

Much of the present building was erected in 1412 by

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

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. ^ a b 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. .
  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.

External links

St Leonard's from the south