St Leonard's Church is a

Church of England The Church of England (C of E) is the established Christian church in England and the mother church of the international Anglican Communion. It traces its history to the Christian church recorded as existing in the Roman province of Britain ...

parish church A parish church (or parochial church) in Christianity is the church which acts as the religious centre of a parish. In many parts of the world, especially in rural areas, the parish church may play a significant role in community activities, ...

in the

London Borough of Lambeth Lambeth () is a London boroughs, London borough in South London, England, which forms part of Inner London. Its name was recorded in 1062 as ''Lambehitha'' ("landing place for lambs") and in 1255 as ''Lambeth''. The geographical centre of London ...

. It is a

Grade II listed building 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 ...

and occupies a prominent position on the west side of

Streatham Streatham ( ) is a district in south London, England. Centred south of Charing Cross, it lies mostly within the London Borough of Lambeth, with some parts extending into the neighbouring London Borough of Wandsworth. Streatham was in Surrey ...

High Road, at its junction with Tooting Bec Gardens and Mitcham Lane.

Parish

is an ancient parish which is mentioned in the Domesday Book and originally included land in the districts that are now generally known as

Balham Balham () is an area in south London, England, mostly within the London Borough of Wandsworth with small parts within the neighbouring London Borough of Lambeth. The area has been settled since Saxon times and appears in the Domesday Book as B ...

and

Tooting Bec Tooting Bec is in the London Borough of Wandsworth, south London, England. History Tooting Bec appears in Domesday Book of 1086 as "Totinges". It was held partly by St Mary de Bec-Hellouin Abbey and partly by Westminster Abbey. Its domesday ass ...

. In response to the great increase in the local population during the 19th and 20th centuries, parts of the area of the original parish of St Leonard's were assigned to form the whole or parts of these more newly created parishes: * All Saints, West Dulwich * Ascension, Balham Hill * Christ Church, Streatham * Holy Trinity, Tulse Hill * Holy Trinity, Upper Tooting * Immanuel, Streatham * St Margaret the Queen, Streatham Hill * St Peter, Streatham * St Alban, Streatham Park * St Andrew, Lower Streatham * St Anselm, Coventry Park * St James, West Streatham * St John the Divine, Balham Hill * St Mary, Balham * St Mary, Summerstown * St Thomas, Telford Park * The Holy Redeemer, Streatham Vale The Diocese of Southwark estimates the population of St Leonard's parish was 11,293 in 2001.

Building

The lower part of the tower is the oldest section of the current building, having been constructed in the 14th century. A number of fittings within the church are also of relatively early date, including a 15th-century font, a mutilated figure of a knight under a 14th-century canopy and a number of other brasses and monuments. In 1830–1, almost the entire church apart from the tower was rebuilt to plans by Joseph T. Parkinson. The spire, which was struck by lightning in 1841, along with the top of the tower was rebuilt soon afterwards. The present stone chancel was constructed in 1863 to designs by

William Dyce William Dyce (; 19 September 1806 in Aberdeen14 February 1864) was a Scottish painter, who played a part in the formation of public art education in the United Kingdom, and the South Kensington Schools system. Dyce was associated with the Pre-R ...

and was completed under the direction of

Benjamin Ferrey Benjamin Ferrey FSA FRIBA (1 April 1810–22 August 1880) was an English architect who worked mostly in the Gothic Revival. Family Benjamin Ferrey was the youngest son of Benjamin Ferrey Snr (1779–1847), a draper who became Mayor of Christc ...

. Further alterations took place in 1877. William Dyce is commemorated by a memorial tablet inside the church. The church was gutted by fire in on 5 May 1975 and subsequently restored to plans by The Douglas Feast Partnership. This work involved a number of alterations including the installation of a staircase that provides access to the gallery and a mezzanine floor, provision of new seating, an organ, paved stone floor (incorporating older ledger stones), Chapel of Unity at the west end of the south aisle and clerestory lights in the nave and chancel. A detailed description of the present-day interior of the church is available online. The churchyard is well-stocked with monuments and contains four Grade II listed tombs which commemorate: * George Abell, died 1826 * Joseph Hay, died 1805 * Lt. Col. William Boyce, died 1808 * Thomas Helps, died 1842, & his family.

Contested heritage

A review commissioned by

Lambeth Council Lambeth London Borough Council is the local authority for the London Borough of Lambeth in Greater London, England. It is a London borough council, and one of the 32 in the United Kingdom capital of London. The council meets at Lambeth Town Hall ...

, following the

Black Lives Matter Black Lives Matter (abbreviated BLM) is a decentralized political and social movement that seeks to highlight racism, discrimination, and racial inequality experienced by black people. Its primary concerns are incidents of police bruta ...

protests during 2020, to identify locations in Lambeth with historic direct and indirect links to the trans-Atlantic slave trade and colonialism, included the memorial to John Massingberd, Treasurer 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 ...

as having a proven association.

References

External links

St Leonard’s Church, Streatham – History
{{DEFAULTSORT:Streatham, Saint Leonard Church of England church buildings in the London Borough of Lambeth Grade II listed churches in the London Borough of Lambeth 1975 fires in the United Kingdom 14th-century church buildings in England Burned buildings and structures in the United Kingdom Rebuilt churches in the United Kingdom 19th-century Church of England church buildings Anglican Diocese of Southwark Saint Leonard