st leonards church old warden

st leonards church old warden in bedfordshire, is a grade 1 listed parish church of st leonard lies at the northern end of the villiage, the earliest part of the building the tower is norman while the nave dates from the 13th century, there is a medieval stained glass window on the north side of the nave by the pulpit dating to the late 14th century which contains the only known depiction of a cistercian abbot in england. st leonards was the only church owned by the nearby cistercian monastery of waden, founded in 1135 by walter spec, nephew of wardens domesday lord of the manor. the dedication to st leonard reflects the cistercian devotion to the cult of st leonard a non biblical saint. the church contains many memorials to the ongley and shuttleworth families of old warden. the churchyard also has a memorial to the shuttleworth family, and the church porch was built in memory of richard shuttleworth the last squire of old warden, killed in a plane crash whilst on active service in 1940. post code - SG18 9HD please like share comment and subscribe.