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Monument Types

• CHURCH (Early Medieval to Modern - 1201 AD to 2050 AD)

Summary

Church, mostly late C13th/early C14th. The west tower is distinctly earlier than 1300. The last medieval contribution was the clerestory, which runs the full length of the nave and chancel. The church was restored in 1868.

Additional Information

<1> Historic England, National Heritage List for England, https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1189660 (Website). SLE7874.

Listed building description:
Grade II
"Parish church. C13, late C13 tower, chancel aisles and arcades rebuilt early C14, clerestory added late C15. Restored 1867 by Joseph Goddard of Leicester. Roof repaired 1914. C19 vestry. West tower, nave, north aisle with north porch, south aisle, chancel, vestry. Coursed ironstone rubble with ashlared limestone dressings. Lead and plain tile roofs. Heavily moulded plinth. Coped parapets. Angle-gabled buttresses with set-offs. West tower, 3 stages with broach spire. 2nd and 3rd stage bands. Decorative cornice. Angle buttresses at north-west and south-west corners. West elevation has modernised doorway with moulded, shouldered flat arch, and plank door. Above, a C13 lancet with chamfered jambs and hoodmould. Above, a 2-light pointed arch bell-opening, the lights divided by a single shaft with moulded capital and base, with a hoodmould. North, south and east elevations have similar bell-openings. South elevation has C19 clock face in 2nd stage. Spire has corner pinnacles and two tiers of alternating lucarnes. North aisle has north porch added by Josepth Goddard in 1868. Plain tile roof with coped gables with kneelers and finial. Heavily moulded doorway with engaged shafts and hoodmould with headstops. East and west walls have a single, small window each. North doorway has double-chamfered arch with a plank door. To west of porch, a 2-light window with reticulated tracery and hoodmould with headstops. East of porch, a 3-light window with intersecting tracery and hoodmould with head- stops. North aisle has 3-light east window with reticulated tracery and hoodmould with headstops. Chancel, north wall has a 2-light window with reticulated tracery and hoodmoulds with plain stops and to east, a 2-light window with Y-tracery, and hoodmould. 4-light east window with flowing tracery, cross finial to gable. Clerestory over both nave and chancel has five 2-light windows with cusped heads set in rectangular frames, with straight headmoulds with returned stops. 3 windows light the nave, 2, the chancel. South aisle, south doorway has moulded jambs with engaged shafts, hoodmould with headstops, and plank door. To west, a 2-light window with intersecting tracery and hoodmould with headstops. To east, a 3-light window with intersecting tracery and hoodmould with headstops. South aisle has 2-light east window with reticulated tracery and hoodmould with plain stops. Chancel, south wall has 2-light window with geometric tracery and hood- mould with plain stops, and to east, a 2-light window with Y-tracery and hoodmould with plain stops. South side of clerestory, similar to north. Late C19 vestry between south aisle and tower, with plain tile roof, coping, stone chimney,and 2-light west window. Interior: 3-bay nave arcades with double chamfered, pointed arches and early C14 quatrefoil piers with moulded capitals and bases. North-east pier and responds, capitals have ballflower decoration. Triple-chamfered tower arch with hoodmould and headstops and piers with capitals and bases. Roofline of earlier nave visible above. North aisle has reset corbel heads on either side, above doorway. South one has reset corbels of c1200 on south side of arcade and on either side of south doorway and south-west window. Rood stair doorway at east end. Chancel has moulded string throughout. All windows have hoods, the north- east window with headstops. Early C14 piscina and damaged sedilia. Late C15 octagonal bowl and stem font, carved with foliage and tracery. Polygonal pulpit appears to incorporate panels of c1500, otherwise late C19. Pews and screen are late C19. Organ provided by Hanbury charity in 1952. Stained glass in east window of north aisle depicting farming scenes, to memory of James Kendall (1933-69). East window of south aisle has glass to memory of George Kendall (1847-1926). Glass in east window by Heaton, Butler & Payne, c1868. Roofs restored in 1868, 1914, 1978. Elaborate carving, brattishing and bossing on moulded C15 tie beams in nave and chancel. Late C19 tile floors. VCH, V, 207-8."
Listed 07/12/1966, most recent amendment 09/03/1989.

<2> Pevsner N, 1984, The Buildings of England Leicestershire and Rutland, p406 (Bibliographic reference). SLE4.

"Mostly of the late C13 to early C14. The W tower is distinctly earlier than 1300. Twin bell-openings not yet with any tracery. Short broach-spire with pinnacles on the broaches. Two tiers of lucarnes in alternating directions, the lower with twin openings divided by a shaft. Again no tracery. S aisle with shafted doorway. S aisle E window reticulated; the S ones with Y and intersected tracery, cusped only in the main lights. S arcade with quatrefoil piers and double-chamfered arches. Hoodmoulds on head stops. The N arcade is the same, but there is a pretty enrichment with ballflower in the E pier and E respond capitals. The last medieval contribution was the clerestory, which runs the full length of the nave and chancel. No chancel arch. Joseph Goddard rebuilt the N aisle and added the N porch in 1868. Of the same time the roofs (very elaborate carving in nave and chancel), seats, and screen. - FONT. Perpendicular, octagonal, with tracery motifs on shaft and bowl. It stands on two steps. - PULPIT. Perpendicular, polygonal. - STAINED GLASS. E window by Heaton, Butler & Bayne, probably of 1868."

<3> Nichols J, The History and Antiquities of Leicestershire, Vol 2 pt 2, p665, p670 (Bibliographic reference). SLE7.

In the matriculus of 1220, Thorpe is stated to be a chapel of the church of Langton.

<4> 2009-2021, Project Gargoyle (Figurative Carvings of Leicestershire and Rutland) (Archive). SLE7917.

Project Gargoyle survey work in 2011 noted that most of the church was built in the thirteenth century, with the chancel aisles and arcades rebuilt in the early fourteenth century and a clerestory added in the late fifteenth century. Most of the carvings are original although some are from the 1867–8 restoration. The corbels mostly depict human heads although one is bovine. One carving might be ape-like although is more likely a stylised human face. The simple hood stops on the exterior of the south wall are original. They could be thought of as over-stylised human faces although best described by the phrase ‘hint heads’.

<5> Historic England, 2024, Heritage at Risk Register 2024, entries, additions and removals (Index). SLE7978.

On Heritage at Risk Register 2024: condition VERY BAD; priority category A(NEW ENTRY); owner type RELIGIOUS ORGANISATION
"Parish church. C13, late C13 tower, chancel aisles and arcades rebuilt early C14, clerestory added late C15. Restored 1867 by Joseph Goddard of Leicester. Roof repaired 1914. C19 vestry. West tower, nave, north aisle with north porch, south aisle, chancel, vestry. Coursed ironstone rubble with limestone ashlar dressings. Sustained water ingress through the chancel roof has led to dry rot outbreaks. The Parochial Church Council has investigated possible sources of water ingress. Urgent repairs are required, subject to the availability of funding."

<6> 2016, National Record of the Historic Environment (NRHE) accessioning (Website). SLE4981.

SUMMARY: "13th cent and later"
URL: 'https://nrhe-to-her.esdm.co.uk/NRHE/RecordDetail.aspx?pageid=45&he_uid=344120', accessioned 09/06/2025.

<7> Ordnance Survey 1:10,560 (6") and 10K historic mapping, 1904 (Map). SLE7243.

[SP 7401 9242] St. Nicholas's Ch. [T.U.]

<8> Leicestershire Archaeological and Historical Society, 1870, Transactions of the Leicestershire Archaeological and Historical Society, Volume 2, Vol 2 (1870), p246 (Rev. Pebendary Trollope) (Journal). SLE4983.

"Thorpe Langton... The church, dedicated to St. Leonard, has a broach spire, nave with aisles, and chancel. The tower [is] of the early English style... A window of the same period (thirteenth century) remains at the west end of the south aisle, and the rest of the church appears to have been rebuilt in the following century… In the fifteenth century… clerestory windows were added, the chancel walls were raised, the chancel arch destroyed, and a nearly flat roof carried the whole length of the edifice…"

<9> 1864-1869, Transactions of the Leicestershire Archaeological and Historical Society, Volume 3, Vol 3 (1874), p141 (Journal). SLE5948.

Further reference.

<10> Hill, JH, 1867, History of Langton, p79 (Bibliographic reference). SLE6159.

The chapel at THORPE LANGTON is dedicated to St. LEONARD. The tower and spire are Early English built C1240. The nave is of three bays
with north and south aisles. The whole fabric is of one date - the Early Geometrical. There is no chancel arch due to its removal to insert the 15thC clerestory.

<11> Oral information, correspondence (not archived) or staff comments, Rev. H. ASH Rector CHURCH LANGTON (Verbal communication). SLE7306.

The church is dedicated to St. LEONARD and it is not known how the dedication to ST. NICHOLAS came to be published on O.S. maps. The status of this former chapel-of-ease is now that of a parish church.

<12> Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division, Field Investigators Comments, F1 WCW 22-SEP-1959 (Website). SLE3488.

The church is in use for public worship.
See GP: AO/59/176/4 - church from the west.

Sources

Associated Finds

None recorded

Designations

• Listed Building (II) 1189660: CHAPEL OF ST. LEONARD

Associated Images

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