St Leonard
Badlesmere, Kent
Tucked away down a quiet lane next to a farm, 13th century St Leonard's is tiny and does not look promising at first as it is rendered on the outside.
The church used to be a chapelry and as it stands dates from the early 13th century and is a classic rural ‘barn church’ with a chancel and large open nave, and traces of medieval wall paintings.
The nave has a distinctly unusual atmosphere. It is lofty and plain, with much light flooding in from the large south windows.
While there is no chancel arch there is a horizontal beam which carries the Royal Arms of George III. The three crownpost roof is beautifully set off by whitewashed walls which are almost devoid of monuments.
After the nave the chancel is something of an anticlimax, although there are traces of medieval wall paintings on the south wall.
