St Margaret's Church, Leicester

St Margaret's Church is an ancient Anglican parish church situated on St Margaret's Way in Leicester, England. It is a Grade I listed building.^[1]

St Margaret's Church, Leicester
View of west front and tower
52.64030°N 1.13625°W / 52.64030; -1.13625
Denomination	Church of England
Previous denomination	Catholic Church
Churchmanship	Broad church
Website	https://www.stmargaretsleicester.com/
History
Dedication	Margaret of Antioch
Administration
Province	Canterbury
Diocese	Leicester
Archdeaconry	Leicester
Parish	The Abbey
Clergy
Bishop(s)	Rt. Rev. Martyn Snow
Vicar(s)	Interregnum

500m
550yds

St Margaret's Church

  

History

Parts of the transept date from c. 1200, and parts of the aisles from the late 13th century. Most of the church was rebuilt in Perpendicular style c. 1444,^[2] under William Alnwick, the Bishop of Lincoln. The west tower, which is 108 feet (33 m) high, was built at that time.^[3] It contains a ring of 14 bells^[4] including a flat sixth.^[5] There was a Victorian restoration by George Gilbert Scott in 1860,^[3] and another in 1881 by George Edmund Street.^[2]

The church contains stained glass by Thomas Willement dating from the 1840s, and William Wailes of 1864.^[1]

Tombs

The alabaster effigy of John Penny dates from 1520, although his original tomb was replaced in 1846.^[6] He was the abbot of Leicester Abbey from 1496 to 1509,^[7] and subsequently Bishop of Carlisle.^[6]

Rollo's tomb in the churchyard

The churchyard contains the 1765 tomb of Andrew Rollo, 5th Lord Rollo. The Doric, Grade II* listed structure is faced with slate relief sculptures.^[8]

Organ

The organ dates from 1773 but is now much enlarged. A specification of the organ can be found on the National Pipe Organ Register.^[9]

Organists

• 1785–1845 Ann Valentine^[10]
• 1845–1897 George Augustus Löhr

References

1. Historic England. "Church of St Margaret (1074072)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 28 March 2015.
2. Historic England. "LEICESTER CHURCH GATE SK 5805 (east side) 4/27 St Margaret's Church (1074072)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 3 April 2012.
3. "The ancient borough: St. Margaret's, A History of the County of Leicester: volume 4: The City of Leicester (1958)". British History Online. Institute of Historical Research and the History of Parliament Trust. Retrieved 3 April 2012.
4. Rounds and Call Changes on 14 at Leicester St Margaret; Youtube
5. Dove, R. H. (1982) A Bellringer's Guide to the Church Bells of Britain; 6th ed. Aldershot: Viggers; p. 65 (records 13 bells including a flat 6th)
6. Cocks, T. Y. "Penny, John (d. 1520)". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford University Press. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)
7. Hoskins, W. G.; McKinley, R. A., eds. (1954). "Houses of Augustinian canons: Leicester abbey". A History of the County of Leicestershire: Volume 2 (Victoria County History). London. pp. 13–19. Retrieved 3 August 2015.
8. Historic England. "Tomb of Andrew Lord Rollo to the north east of St Margaret's Church (1250247)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 28 March 2015.
9. "The National Pipe Organ Register - NPOR". Npor.org.uk. Retrieved 10 November 2014.
10. Kroeger, Karl (2001). "Valentine, John". In Sadie, Stanley (ed.). New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians. Vol. 26. London: Macmillan. pp. 207–8. ISBN 0-333-60800-3.