Church Micro 3574 Woodhall Spa-St Leonards Traditional Cache
Church Micro 3574 Woodhall Spa-St Leonards
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The church Micro series is intended to bring Geocachers to various churches all over the UK (and beyond). Some of these churches provide the backdrop of our communities history.
Please take some time to either read the cache page or visit the church.
St Leonards , is part of the Woodhall Spa group of parishes serving 6 parishes and 6 villages.
On the way to St Leonards you will pass the remains of Kirkstead Abbey.The Abbey was founded in 1139 by Hugh Brito, (or Hugh son of Eudo), lord of Tattershall, and was originally colonised by an abbot and twelve monks from Fountains Abbey in Yorkshire.
The abbey remained in existence until 1537, when it was dissolved; the last abbot, Richard Harrison, and three of his monks were executed by Henry VIII following their implication (probably unjustly) in the Lincolnshire Rising of the previous year.
All that remains today is a dramatic crag of masonry - a fragment of the south transept wall of the abbey church - and the earthworks of the vast complex of buildings that once surrounded it,
This Chapel, may well have been built as a chantry chapel in memory of Robert de Tattershall (the grandson of Hugh the Breton who founded Kirkstead Abbey) who died in 1212 and whose recumbent effigy it is thought to be, which lies beside the Altar. It is generally agreed that St. Leonard's Church was used by the benefit of travellers, and as their parish Church by the people who lived nearby.
St. Leonard's Church is 'intact as it was built in the first years of the 13th century except for the roof.' The vaulting ribs are finely moulded and the transverse ribs are enriched with two rows of dog-tooth ornament. At the intersections of the ribs are splendid bosses carved with foliage, but the eastern one has in the centre a representation of the Lamb of God.
The narrow West Doorway has double jamb shafts, leaf capitals and dog-tooth ornament. The door itself with its delicate iron hinges is, probably of the same date as the Church itself.
Externally apart from the West end the building is severely plain. The walls are of wrought limestone blocks probably from the quarries at Lincoln, and the modern roof is covered with plain clay tiles. The gable ends have oak weather-boarding. Internally, the walls and vault retain much of their original plaster, and some traces of the scheme of painted decoration, which seems to have consisted of a masonry pattern on the walls and a simple pattern of triangles as a border to the vault ribs.
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If anybody would like to expand to this series please do, I would just ask that you could let sadexploration know first so he can keep track of the Church numbers and names to avoid duplication.
To view the church micro stats & information page, please click here
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Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
fvta.