The Abbey Church of St Leonard of Old Warden is a

Grade I listed In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Irel ...

church in

Old Warden Old Warden is a village and civil parishes in England, civil parish in the Central Bedfordshire district of the county of Bedfordshire, England, about south-east of the county town of Bedford. The 2011 census shows its population as 328. The ...

Bedfordshire Bedfordshire (; abbreviated Beds) is a ceremonial county in the East of England. The county has been administered by three unitary authorities, Borough of Bedford, Central Bedfordshire and Borough of Luton, since Bedfordshire County Council wa ...

, England. It became a listed building on 31 October 1966.

Design

St Leonard's is named for

Leonard of Noblac Leonard of Noblac (also Leonard of Limoges or Leonard of Noblet; also known as Lienard, Linhart, Leonhard, Léonard, Leonardo, Annard; died 559), is a Frankish saint closely associated with the town and abbey of Saint-Léonard-de-Noblat, in Haut ...

and dates to the early 12th century but the present structure is predominantly 13th century, with 14th, 15th and 16th century additions. The base of the tower, including the tower arch, is 12th century Norman, with the remainder rebuilt in the 15th century. The church was considerably reworked in the mid and late 19th century when the elaborate wooden interior was added. The church is built mainly of brown cobblestones with limestone dressings, with some later working in red brick and in coursed limestone. The south porch was built in 1952 to a design by Professor Richardson and is timber framed with red brick infill and a gabled tiled roof. It was added in 1952 by Mrs Dorothy Shuttleworth in memory of her son,

Richard Ormonde Shuttleworth Richard Ormonde Shuttleworth (16 July 1909 – 2 August 1940) was a racing motorist, aviator and prolific collector of veteran cars and aircraft. His collection forms the nucleus of the Shuttleworth Collection. He was killed in an air crash ...

(1909-1940). Today the church is best known for the richly ornate wooden carvings with which it was "beautified" by the Rt. Hon. Robert Henley-Ongley, 3rd Baron Ongley of Old Warden in the mid 19th century. From widely differing periods and mostly from Belgium, France and Italy, the carvings are said to include a number of panels removed from the private chapel of

Anne of Cleves Anne of Cleves (german: Anna von Kleve; 1515 – 16 July 1557) was Queen of England from 6 January to 12 July 1540 as the fourth wife of King Henry VIII. Not much is known about Anne before 1527, when she became betrothed to Francis, Duke of ...

; these can be identified by the initials AC surmounted by a crown. A number of wooden panels including 15 showing Biblical scenes were stolen from the church in 1997 and were never recovered. It is intended to replace them with contemporary carvings of a similar nature. A noted feature of the church is the medieval stained glass of the 14th century in the north wall which was originally in nearby

Wardon Abbey Wardon or Warden Abbey, Bedfordshire, was one of the senior Cistercian houses of England, founded about 1135 from Rievaulx Abbey. It is a Grade I listed building. History The patron was Walter Espec, who had founded the mother house and settle ...

and which shows the figure of St Margaret on the right holding a rope while on the left is a figure of an Abbot of Wardon Abbey in the white habit of a

Cistercian The Cistercians, () officially the Order of Cistercians ( la, (Sacer) Ordo Cisterciensis, abbreviated as OCist or SOCist), are a Catholic religious order of monks and nuns that branched off from the Benedictines and follow the Rule of Saint ...

. Further along the north wall in the

chancel In church architecture, the chancel is the space around the altar, including the choir and the sanctuary (sometimes called the presbytery), at the liturgical east end of a traditional Christian church building. It may terminate in an apse. Ove ...

is a marble tablet by

Goscombe John Sir William Goscombe John (21 February 1860 – 15 December 1952) was a prolific Welsh sculptor known for his many public memorials. As a sculptor, John developed a distinctive style of his own while respecting classical traditions and forms of ...

dedicated in memory of Frank Shuttleworth (1845-1913) by his widow, Mrs Dorothy Shuttleworth. Some of the inscription was erased later to record that their only son Pilot Officer

RAFVR was killed in a flying accident during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

while serving in the RAF. The

lectern A lectern is a reading desk with a slanted top, on which documents or books are placed as support for reading aloud, as in a scripture reading, lecture, or sermon. A lectern is usually attached to a stand or affixed to some other form of support. ...

bears the eagle and motto of the

Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) and ...

and was given by Mrs Shuttleworth again in memory of her son. The carved wooden

pulpit A pulpit is a raised stand for preachers in a Christian church. The origin of the word is the Latin ''pulpitum'' (platform or staging). The traditional pulpit is raised well above the surrounding floor for audibility and visibility, access ...

shows Jesus with children and the Woman of Samaria and is probably 18th century Flemish. It was purchased by Frank Shuttleworth from an antique shop in Edinburgh. Originally it had carvings of the signs of the Four Evangelists on the four pilasters but these were stolen in 1997. The wooden panels on the front of the

altar An altar is a table or platform for the presentation of religious offerings, for sacrifices, or for other ritualistic purposes. Altars are found at shrines, temples, churches, and other places of worship. They are used particularly in paga ...

are late 19th century. The serpents on the front pew are of particular note. One was damaged during the burglary of 1997 and was repaired by local craftsmen while the second was stolen and subsequently replaced. The large box pew at the top of the nave opposite the pulpit was the Shuttleworth Family pew and contains a fine carving of the Women preparing the body of Christ. Above this is a large and ornate

baroque The Baroque (, ; ) is a style of architecture, music, dance, painting, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished in Europe from the early 17th century until the 1750s. In the territories of the Spanish and Portuguese empires including t ...

carving representing

Faith Faith, derived from Latin ''fides'' and Old French ''feid'', is confidence or trust in a person, thing, or In the context of religion, one can define faith as "belief in God or in the doctrines or teachings of religion". Religious people often ...

, erected by her sister in memory of Caroline Jane Shuttleworth, who died in 1899.Guide, pg 11 At the west end of the

nave The nave () is the central part of a church, stretching from the (normally western) main entrance or rear wall, to the transepts, or in a church without transepts, to the chancel. When a church contains side aisles, as in a basilica-type ...

is a life-size monument by

Peter Scheemakers Peter Scheemakers or Pieter Scheemaeckers II or the Younger (10 January 1691 – 12 September 1781) was a Flemish sculptor who worked for most of his life in London. His public and church sculptures in a classicist style had an important influenc ...

and

Laurent Delvaux Laurent Delvaux (1696, in Ghent – 24 February 1778, in Nivelles) was a Flemish sculptor. After a successful international career that brought him to London and Rome, he returned to the Austrian Netherlands where he was a sculptor to the cour ...

to Sir Samuel Ongley (1647–1726), a Member of Parliament, Director of the

East India Company The East India Company (EIC) was an English, and later British, joint-stock company founded in 1600 and dissolved in 1874. It was formed to trade in the Indian Ocean region, initially with the East Indies (the Indian subcontinent and Southea ...

and the first Deputy Governor of the

South Sea Company The South Sea Company (officially The Governor and Company of the merchants of Great Britain, trading to the South Seas and other parts of America, and for the encouragement of the Fishery) was a British joint-stock company founded in Ja ...

. Only one

putto A putto (; plural putti ) is a figure in a work of art depicted as a chubby male child, usually naked and sometimes winged. Originally limited to profane passions in symbolism,Dempsey, Charles. ''Inventing the Renaissance Putto''. University of ...

remains, the other having been stolen in the burglary of 1997. The octagonal wooden tiles set in the two pillars were placed there at the time of the restoration of the church during the reign of

Mary I of England Mary I (18 February 1516 – 17 November 1558), also known as Mary Tudor, and as "Bloody Mary" by her Protestant opponents, was Queen of England and Ireland from July 1553 and Queen of Spain from January 1556 until her death in 1558. Sh ...

of Queen Mary, the daughter of Henry VIII, and whose initial they bear. The gallery along the south wall of the nave was added in 1841 by Lord Ongley. The blank-arched panels are English and are believed to be Elizabethan or Jacobean. The

baptismal font A baptismal font is an article of church furniture used for baptism. Aspersion and affusion fonts The fonts of many Christian denominations are for baptisms using a non-immersive method, such as aspersion (sprinkling) or affusion (pouring). ...

is 14th century and is surmounted by a mid-19th century

Gothic Revival Gothic Revival (also referred to as Victorian Gothic, neo-Gothic, or Gothick) is an architectural movement that began in the late 1740s in England. The movement gained momentum and expanded in the first half of the 19th century, as increasingly ...

canopy.

Richard Shuttleworth Chapel

In 2008, after changes in the status of the Shuttleworth Chapel in Old Warden Park, St Leonard's church received a number of items from the chapel, including two flags, two lances with regimental pennants, linen and lace altar cloths, a wooden cross and candlesticks. With these items also came the oval plaque with the Shuttleworth family crest and RAF wings dedicated to

(1909-1940), who was killed in a flying accident while on active service during

and who is buried in the churchyard. This plaque has been placed in the Chapel, in the south nave part of the church. The window above the altar in the Richard Shuttleworth Chapel was presented by his father Frank Shuttleworth to commemorate the Coronation of

Edward VII Edward VII (Albert Edward; 9 November 1841 – 6 May 1910) was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and Emperor of India, from 22 January 1901 until his death in 1910. The second child and eldest son of Queen Victoria an ...

. The date in the window, however, is wrong as the window was completed before the Coronation which had to be postponed because of the illness of the King.

The bells

The church has six bells with the oldest (No 5) being more than 400 years old. No 3 bell was originally cast in 1653 by the bell-founder

Miles Graye Miles Graye was a dynasty of English bell-founders who had foundries in Colchester and Saffron Walden in Essex during the 17th-century. It is believed that the family cast over 415 bells, many of which remain today.Taylor of Loughborough John Taylor Bell Foundry (Loughborough) Limited, trading as John Taylor & Co and commonly known as Taylor's Bell Foundry, Taylor's of Loughborough, or simply Taylor's, is the world's largest working bell (instrument), bell foundry. It is locate ...

and were added in 1897 by Colonel Frank Shuttleworth to commemorate the

Diamond Jubilee A diamond jubilee celebrates the 60th anniversary of a significant event related to a person (e.g. accession to the throne or wedding, among others) or the 60th anniversary of an institution's founding. The term is also used for 75th annivers ...

Queen Victoria Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until Death and state funeral of Queen Victoria, her death in 1901. Her reign of 63 years and 21 ...

.Guide, pg 4

Notable burials

Admiral Admiral is one of the highest ranks in some navies. In the Commonwealth nations and the United States, a "full" admiral is equivalent to a "full" general in the army or the air force, and is above vice admiral and below admiral of the fleet, ...

Sir

Lionel Halsey Admiral Sir Lionel Halsey, (26 February 1872 – 26 October 1949) was a Royal Navy officer and courtier. Early life and career Halsey was born in London, the fourth son of Sir Thomas Frederick Halsey, 1st Baronet. After primary education at S ...

(1872–1949),

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against F ...

officer and

courtier A courtier () is a person who attends the royal court of a monarch or other royalty. The earliest historical examples of courtiers were part of the retinues of rulers. Historically the court was the centre of government as well as the official r ...

* Sir

Ralph Endersby Harwood Sir Ralph Endersby Harwood (28 March 1883 – 28 February 1951) was Financial Secretary to George V, Edward VIII and George VI. Early life Harwood was born on 28 March 1883, the son of Charles Harwood of Shefford, Bedfordshire. He was educate ...

(1883–1951), Financial Secretary to

George V George V (George Frederick Ernest Albert; 3 June 1865 – 20 January 1936) was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 6 May 1910 until Death and state funeral of George V, his death in 1936. Born duri ...

Edward VIII Edward VIII (Edward Albert Christian George Andrew Patrick David; 23 June 1894 – 28 May 1972), later known as the Duke of Windsor, was King of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Empire and Emperor of India from 20 January 19 ...

and

George VI George VI (Albert Frederick Arthur George; 14 December 1895 – 6 February 1952) was King of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Commonwealth from 11 December 1936 until Death and state funeral of George VI, his death in 1952. ...

* Robert 'Bob' Lang (1840-1908), Vicar of St Leonard's 1892-1902 and who played

first-class cricket First-class cricket, along with List A cricket and Twenty20 cricket, is one of the highest-standard forms of cricket. A first-class match is one of three or more days' scheduled duration between two sides of eleven players each and is officiall ...

from 1860 to 1862 for

Cambridge University , mottoeng = Literal: From here, light and sacred draughts. Non literal: From this place, we gain enlightenment and precious knowledge. , established = , other_name = The Chancellor, Masters and Schola ...

. *

Robert Henley-Ongley, 1st Baron Ongley Robert Henley-Ongley, 1st Baron Ongley (c. 1721 – 23 October 1785), was a British politician. Born Robert Henley, the son of Robert Henley of London, he assumed the additional surname of Ongley as heir to the estate of his great-uncle, Sir ...

(c.1721–1785), British politician * Sir Samuel Ongley (1647–1726), English politician *

(1909-1940), racing driver and aviator In the north-east corner of the churchyard stands the Ongley Family mausoleum, built in 1790 and containing 42 vaults, only 10 of which were used.

Gallery

File:Pulpit St Leonards Old Warden.jpg, The 18th century Flemish pulpit in St Leonard's church File:Samuel Ongley Old Warden.jpg, Sir Samuel Ongley's monument in St Leonard's church File:Font St Leonards Old Warden.JPG, The

File:Baroque Memorial St Leonards.JPG, The

memorial to Caroline Shuttleworth (died 1899) File:Robert Henley-Ongley Tomb.jpg, Robert Henley-Ongley's memorial in St Leonard's church File:Ongley Mausoleum Old Warden.jpg, The Ongley Mausoleum in the churchyard of St Leonard's church

References