St. Leonard's Without
Encyclopedia
The church of St Leonard’s Without is a small and ancient chapel built between 1230 and 1240 in the parish of Kirkstead
, Lincolnshire
. It is an excellent example of the Early English style
and even though measuring only 12.8 metres (42 ft) by 5.8 metres (19 ft) it is up to “Cathedral standards” of construction and may well have been built as a chantry
chapel in memory of Robert de Tattershall, who died in 1212. After use for many centuries as a church, it closed in 1877, when a Presbyterian congregation was evicted, and from 1883 the Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings
fought to save it from total decay. Eventually during 1913 and 1914 it was restored by the architect Weir.
The chapel lies close to the older and now ruined Kirkstead Abbey
founded in 1139, and its name refers to its being 'without' (outside) the walls of the monastery
.
Kirkstead
Kirkstead is an ancient village and former parish on the River Witham in Lincolnshire, England. It was amalgamated with the civil parish of Woodhall Spa in 1987.-History:...
, Lincolnshire
Lincolnshire
Lincolnshire is a county in the east of England. It borders Norfolk to the south east, Cambridgeshire to the south, Rutland to the south west, Leicestershire and Nottinghamshire to the west, South Yorkshire to the north west, and the East Riding of Yorkshire to the north. It also borders...
. It is an excellent example of the Early English style
English Gothic architecture
English Gothic is the name of the architectural style that flourished in England from about 1180 until about 1520.-Introduction:As with the Gothic architecture of other parts of Europe, English Gothic is defined by its pointed arches, vaulted roofs, buttresses, large windows, and spires...
and even though measuring only 12.8 metres (42 ft) by 5.8 metres (19 ft) it is up to “Cathedral standards” of construction and may well have been built as a chantry
Chantry
Chantry is the English term for a fund established to pay for a priest to celebrate sung Masses for a specified purpose, generally for the soul of the deceased donor. Chantries were endowed with lands given by donors, the income from which maintained the chantry priest...
chapel in memory of Robert de Tattershall, who died in 1212. After use for many centuries as a church, it closed in 1877, when a Presbyterian congregation was evicted, and from 1883 the Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings
Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings
The Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings was founded by William Morris, Philip Webb and J.J.Stevenson, and other notable members of the Pre Raphaelite brotherhood, in 1877, to oppose what they saw as the insensitive renovation of ancient buildings then occurring in Victorian...
fought to save it from total decay. Eventually during 1913 and 1914 it was restored by the architect Weir.
The chapel lies close to the older and now ruined Kirkstead Abbey
Kirkstead Abbey
Kirkstead Abbey is a former Cistercian monastery in Kirkstead, Lincolnshire, England.The monastery was founded in 1139 by Hugh Brito, , lord of Tattershall, and was originally colonised by an abbot and twelve monks from Fountains Abbey in Yorkshire...
founded in 1139, and its name refers to its being 'without' (outside) the walls of the monastery
Monastery
Monastery denotes the building, or complex of buildings, that houses a room reserved for prayer as well as the domestic quarters and workplace of monastics, whether monks or nuns, and whether living in community or alone .Monasteries may vary greatly in size – a small dwelling accommodating only...
.
See also
- Woodhall SpaWoodhall SpaWoodhall Spa is a civil parish and village in the East Lindsey district of Lincolnshire, England within a wooded area on the Southern edge of the Lincolnshire Wolds, about south-west of Horncastle and about east-south-east of Lincoln...