Hoby
The church is situated on a slight hill overlooking the Wreake Valley ten miles north-east of Leicester. The church consists of a west tower with recessed spire, north & south aisles, nave and chancel. The tower has a 13th century base with the spire added later, probably in the 14th century at the same time as the clerestory. The rest of the church dates to the 13th century with some Victorian restoration work in the chancel.
The two 13th century arcades have piers of unusual shapes, one pair round with four attached demi-shafts with fillets, the other with round shafts with four diagonal shafts of rectangular section. The church may have been built around 1216 and was probably built on the site of an earlier church. The south aisle may have been built as a chantry chapel for the Villiers family whilst the north aisle which is of a slightly later date has a ‘Reformation’ table resting on a 16th century tombstone.
In the nave some the ‘poppy-head’ benches date back to the 15th century. The chancel was enlarged and rebuilt during Ewan Christian’s restoration in 1863-64. The stone altar top was restored to its original position in 1862, it had previously been in the floor of the nave. The old rood screen supplied the wood for the altar rail. The font is 13th century although it now sits on a 16th century tombstone.
**************************************
****************** ********************
For full information on how you can expand the Church Micro series by sadexploration please read the Place your own Church Micro page before you contact him at churchmicro.co.uk