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Wren's Cathedral

Churches in WarwickshireGrade I listed churches in Warwickshire
St Leonard's Church, Wroxall Abbey, Warwickshire, England
St Leonard's Church, Wroxall Abbey, Warwickshire, England

Wren's Cathedral, properly the Church of St Leonard and now a cathedral of the Communion of Evangelical Episcopal Churches, was originally the Lady Chapel of Wroxall Priory. Wroxall Priory was founded in 1141 as the Priory of St. Leonard for nuns at Wroxall, Warwickshire by Sir Hugh-Hatton, eldest son of the Earl of Warwick. He fought in the Crusades and was released after being held prisoner for seven years in Jerusalem and having a vision of St. Leonard, the patron saint of prisoners. He so appreciated the intervention of the saint that he gave 3,000 acres of land to the church in Wroxall to form a monastery for nuns after the Order of St. Benedict which was named the Priory of St. Leonard at Wroxall. A list of the Prioresses up to 1535 and further list of ministers from 1538 circa to the present can be found on the official website. A Charter issued by Pope Alexander III to the Priory of St. Leonard will also be found on the same web site.

Excerpt from the Wikipedia article Wren's Cathedral (License: CC BY-SA 3.0, Authors, Images).

Wren's Cathedral
Birmingham Road,

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N 52.3342 ° E -1.6758 °
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Church of St Leonard

Birmingham Road
CV35 7ND , Beausale, Haseley, Honiley and Wroxall
England, United Kingdom
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St Leonard's Church, Wroxall Abbey, Warwickshire, England
St Leonard's Church, Wroxall Abbey, Warwickshire, England
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Wroxall Priory
Wroxall Priory

Wroxall Priory was a medieval monastic house in Wroxall, Warwickshire, England. It was founded c.1135 by Hugh, Lord of Hatton and Wroxall in thanks for his release from seven years' imprisonment in Jerusalem during the Crusades. After reputedly having a vision of St. Leonard, the patron saint of prisoners, he so appreciated the intervention of the saint that he gave 3,000 acres of land to the church in Wroxall to form a monastery for nuns of the Order of St. Benedict which was named the Priory of St. Leonard at Wroxall. A list of the Prioresses up to 1535 and further list of ministers from 1538 circa to the present can be found on the official website. A Charter issued by Pope Alexander III to the Priory of St. Leonard will also be found on the same web site. Along with all the religious houses of England, the house was dissolved in 1536 by Henry VIII. The Priory Chapel survives intact as St Leonard's Church and is a Grade I listed building. It is popularly known as Wren's chapel after Sir Christopher Wren bought the priory estate and is now a cathedral of the Free Methodist Church. It contains the figurine of Prioress Isabella Shakespeare, (aunt of William Shakespeare), and the tomb of Sir Christopher Wren's wife. The ruined remains of the rest of the priory buildings are Grade II* listed.The priory site is now occupied by Wroxall Abbey, a large Victorian house built by James Dugdale, High Sheriff of Warwickshire for 1868–69. It was occupied as a girls' school from 1936 to 1995 but has since been owned by the Quinn family and converted into a hotel. The legend of Sir Hugh is featured in stained glass within the house.

Wroxall, Warwickshire
Wroxall, Warwickshire

Wroxall is a small village and former civil parish, now in the parish of Beausale, Haseley, Honiley and Wroxall, in the Warwick district, in the county of Warwickshire, England. It is 4.0 miles (6.4 km) from Kenilworth, and 6.5 miles (10.5 km) from Coventry on the A4141 road. According to the 2001 census the parish had a population of 94. On 1 April 2007 the parish was abolished to form "Beausale, Haseley, Honiley and Wroxall". It has its own cemetery to the north of the village. By far the most important part of the village is the Wroxall Abbey Estate. Built in 1141 by Sir Hugh de Hatton it was a Benedictine Priory for nearly four hundred years, finally closing in 1536 at the Dissolution of the Monasteries. For the next four hundred years it passed through various hands, notable examples being the Burgoyne baronets and Sir Christopher Wren who purchased it as a retreat just three years after completing his work on St. Paul's Cathedral in 1710. It became a girls' school in 1936. The school in turn closed in 1995. In 2001 the current owners, a private investment company, bought the hall. It is now used as a hotel, spa and conference centre. In March 2006, motorsport company Prodrive announced its intent to build a 200-acre (about 800,000 square metres) motorsport facility called The Fulcrum. It will be based at the former RAF Honiley airfield which is located between Wroxall and Honiley. In late 2008 however a change in the rules of Formula One motor racing meant the proposal became uncertain. Haseley Manor, which is a Grade II-listed country house is nearby.

Rowington
Rowington

Rowington is a village and civil parish in the English county of Warwickshire. It is five miles north-west of the town of Warwick and five miles south-west of the town of Kenilworth. The parish, which also includes Lowsonford, Pinley and Mousley End, had a population of 925 according to the 2001 UK Census, increasing to 944 at the 2011 Census. The Grand Union Canal runs just south of the village and the M40 motorway is also close by. The Heart of England Way for long-distance walkers passes through the village. The parish church of St. Laurence which dates from medieval times is found on a hill in the centre of the village. In the Tudor era Rowington manor was owned by Queen Catherine Parr.Possibly the most famous building however is Shakespeare Hall, where a branch of William Shakespeare's family is reputed to have lived at the same time he was alive, and indeed Rowington is specifically mentioned in Shakespeare's will. It has been claimed he wrote As You Like It there. There is a more modern rival claim (dating from 1973) that that play was written at Billesley.There were once several windmills in the village but only one remains and its sails have been removed and the building converted into a house. At one time Rowington quarries supplied sandstone for several important buildings including St Philip's Cathedral in Birmingham, the parish church of St. Laurence and nearby Baddesley Clinton manor house. No quarries remain in Rowington. The village is home to several farms and livery yards. James Blyth once lived in the village and became a life peer in 1995.