St Leonard’s Church in Wollaton, Nottingham, has been around since the 1200s and it would have fallen under the care of the Mortein and then the Willoughby families, owners of the nearby Wollaton Hall.
It’s a very pleasant church, larger on the inside than it looks from the street. Extensively altered and extended throughout the years its architecture is a mix of several styles. Inside there are many interesting memorials. One of them is a memorial to Robert Smythson, a stonemason who worked on Longleat, and designed Hardwick Hall and Wollaton Hall and it is the first example of the word “architect” being used in such a way.
Other highlights include some very colourful stained glass, most of which date from the Victorian period or later.
Another important highlight is the Wollaton Antiphonal – a rare illuminated manuscript used for daily services from 1460. During the Reformation most of these books were destroyed but the Wollaton Antiphonal was hidden at Wollaton Hall and is now housed at the Manuscripts and Special Collections Department at the University of Nottingham. A digital version is on display at the church.
You can find more photos here.
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