St Botolph - Ratcliffe on the Wreake, Leicestershire - Medieval Churches on Waymarking.com

"Nearly seven miles north-east of Leicester is the small village of Ratcliffe on the Wreake which takes the second part of its name from the River Wreake that lies to the south. It has a small population of a few hundred and is just off the Fosse Way.

The pretty church of St Botolph’s consists of a nave, chancel and tower with a tall crocketed spire. There was originally a north aisle but this was removed between 1791 and 1795, internally the arches of the north aisle can clearly be seen. The chancel dates from the early 14th century and is unusually lower than the nave floor with a few steps down. There are sedelia and a double-chamfered recess in the chancel area in the style of the early 13th century and the font by the door is from the same date. All the furnishings are from 1869 and by R.J & J. Goodacre. The tall elegant crocketed spire has two tiers of lucarnes and in my opinion is one of the highlights of the building.

The village also has Ratcliffe Hall and in 1930 Sir William Lindsey Everard the owner at the time built Ratcliffe Aerodrome on his own estates. It opened with a ‘Grand Air Pageant’ on September 6, 1930. Famed aviator Amy Johnson made an unexpected trip from London to participate with Sir Sefton Brancker, Director of Civil Aviation. Some 5000 spectators were treated to a show with 100 planes and staged bombings of Chinese pirates. There was one crash, but no one was killed. Ratcliffe Aerodrome was one of the finest in civil aviation with a comfortable clubhouse and an outdoor pool. The hangars were first class and the many air shows and displays had the atmosphere of a garden party. It closed in 1950 and was situated just north of Ratcliffe College on the other side of the Fosse Way."

SOURCE - (visit link)

"Church. C14, spire rebuilt 1812 and church restored 1876. Granite rubble stone with stone dressings, ashlar spire, and Swithland slate roofs. Stone coped gables. W tower, nave, chancel and S porch. W tower of two stages with short diagonal buttresses, W window with C19 stained glass, N door, clock face to N, 3 2-light bell openings, gargoyles, battlements and tall crocketted needle spire with two tiers of lucarnes. Nave has stepped buttresses. Inside, triple chamfered nave arch on polygonal responds, four bay N arcade on octagonal piers, blocked when N aisle demolished c1800. Three N windows, two with Y tracery and one with Intersected tracery. N door. Three S windows with Geometric tracery. C19 four bay roof with curved braces and wall pieces on stone corbels. Double chamfered chancel arch on polygonal responds. Early C14 chancel with two N windows with Geometric tracery, E window with Reticulated tracery and stained glass of 1878 and three S windows with Geometric or Curvilinear tracery. The middle of these has fragments of medieval galss including grisaille quarries. N door. N tomb recess with double chamfered arch and effigy of priest, c1300, the head under a crocketted gable. Piscina and triple sedilia. C19 three bay roof similar to nave. C12/C13 round font on probably C19 octagonal base. S porch rebuilt 1967. Kelly's Leicestershire, Rutland, Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire 1881, and Pevsner."

SOURCE - (visit link)

Building Materials: Stone

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