St Leonard's Church, Heston
St Leonard's Church Heston | |
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![]() St Leonard's Church | |
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Location | Heston Road, Heston TW5 0RD, London |
Country | England |
Denomination | Church of England |
Website | parishofheston |
History | |
Status | Parish church |
Architecture | |
Functional status | Active |
Administration | |
Diocese | Diocese of London |
Archdeaconry | Archdeaconry of Middlesex |
Deanery | Hounslow |
Parish | St Leonard Heston |
Clergy | |
Vicar(s) | Erica Wilding |
Assistant | Davidson Solanki |
Laity | |
Churchwarden(s) | Dawn Rabin Caroline Darvill |
Listed Building – Grade II* | |
Designated | 15 June 1951; 73 years ago (1951-06-15) |
Reference no. | 1080340 |
St Leonard's Church is the Grade II* listed Church of England parish church for Heston in the London Borough of Hounslow.[1]
History
The church dates from the 14th century, though there are records of a priest in Heston in the 7th century. The Domesday Book makes no mention of Heston but in 1086 its manor was given to Walter of Saint-Valéry by William the Conqueror. The church was later given to the Abbey of Saint-Valéry [Wikidata].[2]
In around 1270 Heston was made a separate parish under Richard, 1st Earl of Cornwall, the Lord of the Manor. Richard of Cornwall was King John's second son and had served in the Barons' Crusade of 1239, where he succeeded as a negotiator for the release of prisoners. As Saint Leonard is the patron saint of prisoners it is possible that Richard dedicated the church to the saint, although the exact date of the dedication is unknown.[2]
The church tower survived the necessary rebuilding works in the 19th century, as did the lychgate.
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/15/The_grave_of_Private_Frederick_John_White.jpg/220px-The_grave_of_Private_Frederick_John_White.jpg)
Naturalist Sir Joseph Banks (1743–1820) was laid to rest at St Leonard's Church.
Architecture
The tower is Perpendicular (late medieval) and was described by Nikolaus Pevsner as 'one of the best of the Middlesex type'. It is similar to the tower of All Saints, Isleworth. It has a south-east turret, diagonal buttresses, a three-light west window and tall, two-light, transomed windows with square heads to the belfry stage. There are embattled parapets and carved gargoyles. The west porch has a four-centred outer arch and foliated spandrels. The body of the church, rebuilt in the 19th century, is in the style of c.1300.[1]
Interior
The arch to the tower is tall and moulded and is typical of fifteenth-century work. In the arcades between the nave and its aisles, the piers alternate between round and octagonal as was sometimes the case in medieval churches. The arcade to the outer north aisle has round piers, capitals and double chamfered arches and is said to reuse piers from the old church. The chancel arch is moulded and carried on demi-octagonal responds. The roofs to the nave, chancel and outer north aisle are of arch-braced construction. The tower and nave are divided by a modern glazed partition.[1]
Most of the nineteenth-century pews survive, however, some were removed from the east end to accommodate the altar, which has been moved forward. Many of the monuments from the original church also survive. They include one in the Lady Chapel dedicated to Robert Child and his family, owners of Osterley Park, and designed by Robert Adam.[1]
There is also a varied collection of stained glass, including work by C E Kempe and Heaton, Butler and Bayne.[1]
Gallery
- Porch
- East end
- Interior
- Baptismal font
- Altar
- Stained glass
References
- ^ a b c d e Historic England. "Church Of St Leonard (1080340)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 20 June 2018.
- ^ a b Hardy, Lynda. "St Leonard's Church – History". Official website. Retrieved 23 June 2018.
- ^ Hansard, Thomas Curson (1846). "Hansard's Parliamentary Debates, vol 88, 27 July – 28 August, 1846".
External links
51°29′06″N 0°22′19″W / 51.485°N 0.372°W / 51.485; -0.372
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/4/4a/Commons-logo.svg/30px-Commons-logo.svg.png)
- v
- t
- e
churches
(pre-1800)
- All Saints, Isleworth
- St Dunstan, Cranford
- St Dunstan, Feltham
- St George, Hanworth
- St Leonard, Heston
- St Mary the Virgin, Bedfont
- St Nicholas, Chiswick
daughter
churches
- All Saints, Hanworth
- Christ Church, Turnham Green
- Church of the Good Shepherd, Hounslow
- Holy Trinity, Hounslow
- St Faith, Brentford
- St Francis of Assisi, Isleworth
- St John the Baptist, Isleworth
- St Mary, Osterley
- St Michael and All Angels, Bedford Park
- St Michael, Grove Park
- St Paul, Bath Road
- St Paul, Brentford
- St Paul, Grove Park
denominations
- Christ Church, Feltham
- Our Lady & St Christopher, Cranford
- Our Lady of Grace & St Edward, Chiswick
- Our Lady of Sorrows & St Bridget, Isleworth
- Our Lady Queen of the Apostles, Heston
- Russian Orthodox Cathedral, Gunnersbury
- St John the Evangelist, Brentford
- St Joseph, Grove Park
- St Lawrence, Feltham
- St Vincent de Paul, Osterley
- St Michael and St Martin, Hounslow