"St. Leonard’s Church dates from 1775 and the present building replaced a medieval building which had become so decayed that permission had been given to demolish it entirely. Little is known of the old building but the new church was built on the original foundations. In 1876 the church was “gothicised” by raising the roof, remodeling the windows and adding an apse to the very plain georgian building of the previous century. Inside the 18th Century box pews remain, the Victorians added a chancel screen and encaustic floor tiles which have recently been renovated.
Our Priest in Charge is Reverend Barbara Clutton and we are a member of the Dracote Group of Parishes comprising churches in Bourton, Frankton, Stretton, Princethorpe and Birdingbury."
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"There has been a church in Birdingbury for over a thousand years but very little is known about the building until the 18th century, when a Faculty was issued by the Bishop of Lichfield and Coventry which gave permission for the complete demolition of the existing church which was described as ‘ruinous, wholly decayed and dilapidated’ and beyond repair.
A ’competent sum of money ‘ having been bequeathed resulted in an agreement to ‘set up and build a new church and chancel in the churchyard upon a foundation on or near to the place, or ground, where the said church or chancel now stands, in a more substantial, decent and uniform manner and form’
Although the faculty tells us quite a lot about the early church, the last sentence is particularly puzzling. What is implied by the phrase ‘in a more substantial, decent and uniform manner’? Does the phrase simply refer to the ruinous state of the early church or does it imply it had been poorly built in the first place? And do the words ‘decent and uniform’ refer to a change in taste from gothic to classical or does it imply that, like many parish churches, St Leonards had been added to or modified in a variety of different styles?
The new church design had medieval curves replaced with right angles and straight lines; it was presumably built on the foundations of the early church but some evidence suggests that the builders extended the building eastwards beyond the earlier foundations.
The present pulpit, font and box pews belong to the furnishings of this church. The two bells are no longer in use.
Extensive alterations were made in 1876, due to the generosity of the Reverend Richard Hickman and his wife Emily. The low roof was raised, an apse added, the rectangular windows remodelled and the gallery redesigned. Sir Theophilus Biddulph gave the St Leonard window in the chancel. Mary, his wife, the East window and the chancel screen which was made out of the former roof beams. The Hickmans gave the window in the South wall of the chancel. A fund was started to build a spire to suggest the transcendence of God, but the money was later diverted to buy a new organ.
Until the 20th century, the partnership between the Lord of the Manor, and the incumbent was key to church activity, however in 1919 the Church of England Assembly (Powers) Act resulted in a change in Church government to elected Parochial Church Councils whose function included ‘co-operating ‘with the Minister in promoting in the parish the whole mission of the church, pastoral, evangelistic and ecumenical’.
In 1929, the parish was joined with Marton, the Bishop of Coventry became the Patron of the United Benefice and TH Douglas Long the first priest to be both Vicar of Marton and Rector of Birdingbury.
In 1974, under a further pastoral re-organisation scheme, the two parishes went their separate ways and Birdingbury became linked with Leamington Hastings, a partnership which lasted many years.
In 1991, significant underpinning work was required where the apse had been built on the shallow foundations of the 18th century. Where, historically, this would have been the responsibility of the Lord of the Manor and the Rector, the PCC now took responsibility for fund raising and thanks to the efforts of many villagers the sum of £10,000 was raised within a year and the work completed.
We are now a part of the benefice ‘The Draycote group of Parishes’ . Details of the PCC members are in the section ‘Who’s who at St Leonard’s’
Most recent works in the church have included the replacement of carpets and the complete restoration of Victorian encaustic tiles in the nave, for which the PCC was extremely grateful to receive donations from the village Festival Committee and local villagers."
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