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Churches of the British Isles

Gallery: Churches of Leicestershire

by Peter Kessler, 3 April 2011

Melton Part 1: Churches of Bottesford

The Church of St Mary the Virgin, Bottesford, Leicestershire

The Church of St Mary the Virgin, Bottesford, stands by a ford over the River Devon, on the eastern side of Rectory Lane opposite Devon Lane. It is one of the largest village churches in England, built mainly of limestone with some ironstone in the chancel. That chancel contains a late medieval vestry on the north side, while the rest of the church consists of north and south transepts, a nave with north and south aisles, a south porch, and a west tower and spire.

The Church of St Mary the Virgin, Bottesford, Leicestershire

The earliest part of the church is the lower part of the chancel, dating from the Norman period. Construction on the rest of the building took a further three hundred years. The nave is a mix of late Decorated and Perpendicular. The north and south aisles were added around 1350, with a clerestory of eleven three-light windows being added in the fifteenth century. The dominating tower and spire were added around 1420, reaching a grand height of sixty-four metres.

All photos on this page kindly contributed by Ken Hawley.

 

 

     
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