St. Leonard's, Middleton

[poliphilo]

 

There's been a church on the site since Saxon times. The present building is early 16th century, with earlier bits and pieces. A window on the north wall commemorating the archers who died at the battle of Flodden (1513) is reputed to be the world's oldest war memorial.
The wooden spire (1667) is one of only three in the country.

The churchyard was used as a location for the BBC series Life on Mars.

Comments

[pondhopper.livejournal.com]

That is one of the oddest churches I have ever seen. The wooden spire looks as though somebody plunked a plank cottage on top of it.
:)

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

Very strange.

But rather handsome I think.

[karenkay.livejournal.com]

I was assuming that something happened to the stone spire, and they replaced it with wood as the cheaper option. So it's always been wood?

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

Apparently so.

The church was substantially rebuilt in the 1540s and the spire was added 120 years later.

[karenkay.livejournal.com]

I have the 2nd photo as my wallpaper on my work computer, and I want you to know that I've gotten several compliments on it.

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

This makes me happy :)

[endlessrarities.livejournal.com]

Serves the archers right. Grr....

I digress... What a wonderful church!!! It looks rather 16th century in character... The wooden spire is wonderful, and quite bizarre!

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

I gather these wooden spires were not uncommon at the time, but most have disappeared.