The Memorial to Sir William Leigh and family at St James' Church Longborough Gloucester England UK
The earliest record of the building is in 1192, when a priest was murdered in the church. The present church was built in the 12th century; initially it was a simple building consisting of a nave and chancel. During the following century the west tower was added in Early English style, with a pyramidal roof, and the south porch was built. In the 14th century the chancel was refurbished in Decorated style. The south transept, known as the Leigh aisle, was added as a chantry chapel in a more flamboyant architectural style than the rest of the church. A bellcote was built on the east end of the nave roof. During the following century the pyramidal roof was removed from the tower, and battlements, pinnacles and gargoyles were added to it. The windows in the nave were built; they are in Perpendicular style. Towards the end of that century, or during the following century, a tiled floor was constructed. In the 17th century a tomb to the memory of Sir William Leigh was added to the south transept, and a turret clock was installed. In 1822–23, the Sezincote Chapel was built with a private door, for the use of members of the family living at Sezincote House. This formed a north transept, with accommodation for the family at church services on an upper floor, and a vault for family burials below. It was designed by Charles Robert Cockerell in Perpendicular style, with battlements matching those elsewhere on the church. In the 20th century the Sezincote Chapel, no longer in use by the family, was made accessible from the interior of the church, and the fireplace in its northeast corner was blocked. The tomb to the west is the memorial of Sir William Leigh who died in 1631. On its top are life-sized effigies of Sir William and his wife Elizabeth, and two of their children. On its side are the figures of two sons and three daughters, all kneeling.
Size: 5760px × 3840px
Location: Longborough Gloucester England UK
Photo credit: © Philip Jones / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: christian, christianity, church, england, europe, gloucester, gravestone, gravestones, horizontal, interior, james, land, leigh, longborough, memorial, religious, sir, spring, st, uk, william
