The Church of Saint Leonard is a

Norman Norman or Normans may refer to: Ethnic and cultural identity * The Normans, a people partly descended from Norse Vikings who settled in the territory of Normandy in France in the 9th and 10th centuries ** People or things connected with the Norma ...

church Church may refer to: Religion * Church (building), a place/building for Christian religious activities and praying * Church (congregation), a local congregation of a Christian denomination * Church service, a formalized period of Christian comm ...

Bengeo Bengeo is a suburb and former village and civil parish on the north-west edge of the county town of Hertford in Hertfordshire, England. It is an electoral ward of Hertford. In 1891 the parish had a population of 2586. In 1894 the parish was abo ...

Hertfordshire Hertfordshire ( or ; often abbreviated Herts) is a ceremonial county in the East of England and one of the home counties. It borders Bedfordshire to the north-west, Cambridgeshire to the north-east, Essex to the east, Greater London to the ...

, England. Located on the hillside overlooking the shared Beane and Lea valley, the

Grade I Listed In the United Kingdom, a listed building is a structure of particular architectural or historic interest deserving of special protection. Such buildings are placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Hi ...

church dates from about 1120, and is the oldest building in

Hertford Hertford ( ) is the county town of Hertfordshire, England, and is also a civil parish in the East Hertfordshire district of the county. The parish had a population of 26,783 at the 2011 census. The town grew around a Ford (crossing), ford on ...

History

The building served as the

parish church A parish church (or parochial church) in Christianity is the Church (building), 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 com ...

of Bengeo until the larger Holy Trinity Church was opened in 1855, after which St Leonard's was stripped of its fittings and stood empty and unused for some years. The Gosselin family of nearby Bengeo Hall commissioned

John Thomas Micklethwaite John Thomas Micklethwaite (3 May 1843 – 28 October 1906) was an English architect and archaeologist. He had a long association with Westminster Abbey, and was noted for his criticisms of the current practices of church restoration. Biography He w ...

to restore and refit the church between 1884 and 1894. In the 13th century, against the north-east end of the chancel, was an

anchorite In Christianity, an anchorite or anchoret (female: anchoress); () is someone who, for religious reasons, withdraws from secular society to be able to lead an intensely prayer-oriented, Asceticism , ascetic, or Eucharist-focused life. Anchorit ...

's cell which consisted of a wooden hut. Of eight feet by six feet, there was a recess in the wall for the anchorite’s bed and seat, and an access to the church.

Architecture

The church is built of flint with stone dressings and has a tiled roof. The wooden west

bellcote A bellcote, bell-cote or bell-cot is a small framework and shelter for one or more bells. Bellcotes are most common in church architecture but are also seen on institutions such as schools. The bellcote may be carried on brackets projecting from ...

dates from the 19th-century restoration. The bellcote houses a single bell, dated 1636. The south doorway dates from the 12th century, with the addition of a Georgian brick porch. The south door itself dates from the 14th century.

Apse

The apse is an unusual feature, found in only two other medieval churches in Hertfordshire, St John the Baptist,

Great Amwell Great Amwell is a village and civil parish in the East Hertfordshire district, in the county of Hertfordshire, England. It is southeast of Ware and about north of London. In 2011 the parish had a population of 2353. History On a hill above t ...

, and St Mary's,

Great Wymondley Great Wymondley is a village in the civil parish of Wymondley, in the North Hertfordshire district of Hertfordshire, England. It lies east of Hitchin. Despite the names, Great Wymondley is now smaller than its neighbour, Little Wymondley. His ...

. The roof dates from the 19th-century restoration.

Interior

The nave is coated with plaster with an open collar-beam roof. Remains of medieval wall paintings were uncovered during restoration work in 1938 by William Weir. Interior of St

The church is used for Sunday services during summer months, and also hosts exhibitions and concerts.

Gallery

Image:St Leonards Bengeo 1.jpg, St Leonard's Church – porch, west wall and modern wooden bellcote Image:St. Leonards Bengeo 2.jpg, St Leonard's Church – the east end of the church with its

apse In architecture, an apse (: apses; from Latin , 'arch, vault'; from Ancient Greek , , 'arch'; sometimes written apsis; : apsides) is a semicircular recess covered with a hemispherical Vault (architecture), vault or semi-dome, also known as an ' ...

Image:ChurchOfSaintLeonardBengeo.jpg, St Leonard's churchyard. image:Stained Glass window.jpg, Stained-glass window image:Roof timbers.jpg, Roof timbers

References

External links

St Leonard’s Church Website
{{coord, 51.8053, -0.0800, type:landmark_region:GB, display=title Bengeo, Church of Saint Leonard Bengeo, Church of St. Leonard

Churches in Hertfordshire