Built of Limestone with sandstone dressings this is mainly a C14/C15 church in the Decorated style. The upper part of the tower is in the Perpendicular style with battlements and a recessed spire.

The church contains a number of staimed glass windows by the major designers of the age. Including the work above by Tower (1928) of Simeon taking Jesus into his arms.

Other windows contain a Christ in Majesty with St Thomas, St Anne, and St George by Kempe, a Crucifixion by Hardman, and a work by Powell & sons depicting Mary Magdalen, the mother of James, and Salome at the tomb.

Lower panels of south aisle east window by Kempe, these are represenations of St Thomas, St Ann and the Virgin, and St George.

The east window is by Burlison & Grylls which tells the Easter story in nine panels.

Tags: burlison grylls, decorated, hardman, powell, spire, stained glass, tower

The parish church of St. Giles, Chesterton, is mostly of an early C14 Decorative design, with some remnants of an earlier C13 church. The church itself is in an isolated field some distance from the village, but near to the old Peytos mansion that was pulled down in 1802. Its isolation makes the inscription on the sundial strange, as there were hardly ever anyone around to loiter.

The porch is c1400, leading to an early C13 south doorway carved with ballflowers. To the east is an early C14 priest doorway.

Inside is the door is a C13 font with a tapering round bowl. The church itself is long and narrow consisting of nave and chancel, without any division between the two. The blocked north door is probably the oldest part of the church being a remnant of the earlier C12 building. It used to be the entrance used by the Peyto family and now incorporates a memorial to the 1914-1918 war.

The North and South chancel window are c1330 inset with Victorian stained glass, the north window incorporates some fragments of C15 glass, the south window is from the Hardman Studios Birmingham (1890). The large window in the south wall of the nave is C15 with modern stained glass.

The chancel also contains a modern piscina inserted into C14 image niche with a ribbed vaulted soffit and crocket enrichment. At the west end of the church are Baroque memorial monuments to the Peyto family. The first memorial is to William Peyto, 1619, and his wife Eleanor, was commissioned from by the Sculptor and Architect Nicholas Stone at a cost of £150. The second memorial is to Edward Peyto 1643 and Elizabeth his wife. The busts are set on a pedestal flanked by shafts of dark marble with white Corinthian capitals. This monument was made by John Stone the son of Nicholas Stone, and designer of the old mansion.

On the south wall is a late C16 alabaster tomb of Humfrey Peyto (d 30 March 1585), and Anne his wife. The date of Anne’s death (1604) is not recorded on the tomb. The tomb was made by craftsmen in Burton-on-Trent, which by the end of C16 had become the centre for work of this type having supplanted those of Nottingham.

Tags: alabaster, font, giles, hardman, nicholas stone, romanesque, stained glass, sundial, tomb, tower

The south Leicestershire parish church of St. Nicholas in South Kilworth. Is late 12th early 13th century. The tower with its effigy of St. Nicholas is 14th century, and the broached spire was added in the 15th century. The clock was installed in 1921 and is a memorial to those that died in the first world war.

Built in the late Norman period the church has been restored a number of times, and largely rebuilt in 1868-69, under the instructions of Rev. Assheton Pownall by G.F. Bodley. George Bodley was known as the chief exponent of 14th century English Gothic, and the leading ecclesiastical architect in England. He is regarded as the leader of the resurgence of interest in English and northern European late-medieval design.

The east window in the south aisle contains the Pownall motto “OFFICIUM PRAESTO”.

The chancel window left main panel depicts St. Mary the Virgin with the subscription “St. Mary” below which is shown the Annunciation. The centre main panel displays the Crucifixion subscribed “It is Finished” beneath which is the Nativity with the Holy Family in Bethlehem. The right main panel is inscribed “St. John” and illustrates St. John the Baptist; beneath is the Resurrection. The inscription at the window’s base reads “To the glory of God in memory of the Revd. Assheton Pownell M.A. Rector of this Parish and Archdeacon of Leicester. This Window was placed by his parishioners and friends June 1887”.

West window of nave. From top to bottom, the left panel contains a small medallion enclosing a cherub with blue wings above a seated Resurrection angel with red wings, beneath which is the Virgin Mary robed in blue and standing at the foot of a coffin. At the top of the central panel, facing forwards stands the resurrected Christ. Beneath him lies the central part of the coffin with Mary Magdalene kneeling, dressed in red. The right panel contains another cherub in a medallion, this time in brown with red wings, above a second seated resurrection angel with blue wings. Below at the head of the coffin stands St. John.

The window was commisioned by Catherine Countess Beauchamp from Messrs Hardman & Co of Birmingham. The actual artist is unknown.

The carved pulpit was installed as a first world war memorial. The font is Norman from the late 12th early 13th century thought to have been constructed from the capital of a Norman column.

The remnant of an altar tomb and the effigy are of a 15th century rector Richard Wythnale who died 1439. The reredos panel contains a rare iconic "Lily Crucifixion", of which there are only two other stone sculptures in the UK.

Details of church history supplied by Sam Lloyd.

Tags: effigy, font, G.F. Bodley, hardman, nicholas, spire, stained glass