MSO10523 - St Giles Church, Leighland Chapel (Building)

A Victorian parish church, built on the site of a medieval chapel. It was designed by CE Giles and is built from red sandstone random rubble, with Bath stone dressings and slate roofs. Some medieval tiles have been inlaid around the font.

Parish church. 1861-2 on site of earlier building. Architect C E Giles. Red sandstone random rubble, Bath stone dressings, slate roofs, coped verges, decorative ridge tiles. Plan: 4 bay nave, South porch, West bell-cote, chancel, North vestry. Plain Geometrical style. Single storey bell-cast gabled porch, coped verges and kneelers, string course, arched entrance, 2 pairs of lancets and single sone to right, large stepped buttress, 2 lancets to chancel, 3-light East window, heated vestry on North front, 4 pairs of lancets to nave with central stepped buttress, 2-light West window flanked by buttresses, gabled ashlar bell-cote. Interior: rendered. Chancel: scissor truss roof. Foliage decorated capitals to responds of pointed chancel arch. Similar foliage decoration to pulpit and spandrels of reredos. East window dated 1889. Contemporary fittings included 2 parrafin lamps and a corona for candles. Wrought iron screens, late C20 by Rachel Recketts. Medieval tiles inlaid round font. (VCH Somerset, Vol 5, forthcoming). [1] English Heritage Listed Building Number: 264837. First Listed on 21/12/1984. [2] Complex plan. Stone, Random rubble walls. Gabled, coped roof [3] The Church of St Giles, succeeding to the dedication of the medieval chapel, was built in 1861-2 by CE Giles. The medieval tiles around the font are probably from Cleeve Abbey. [4] No remains of an earlier building are incorporated in the present St Giles's church, which is entirely C19 and in normal use. [5] The building was visited in June 2013 as part of the rapid condition survey of Exmoor's Listed Buildings 2012-13. It received a BAR score of 6. [6] An information leaflet contains further information on the church. [7]