St Leonard's Church

St Leonard’s Church stands on the west side of Streatham High Road in the London Borough of Lambeth. It is a Grade II listed building and occupies a prominent position at the junction with Tooting Bec Gardens and Mitcham Lane. The churchyard contains four Grade II listed tombs, including those of George Abell, Joseph Hay, Lieutenant-Colonel William Boyce and Thomas Helps and his family. A memorial to John Massingberd, Treasurer of the East India Company, has been identified as having links to the trans-Atlantic slave trade. The church’s tower is the oldest part of the current building, dating from the 14th century. The church is worth the journey because it reflects centuries of change in Streatham. The original parish once covered land that now forms Balham and Tooting Bec. During the 19th and 20th centuries, parts of the parish were used to create new parishes such as All Saints, West Dulwich, Ascension, Balham Hill and Christ Church, Streatham. The Diocese of Southwarth estimates the parish population was 11,293 in 2001. The church’s interior includes a 15th-century font, a 14th-century knight’s figure under a canopy and brasses and monuments from earlier centuries. Inside, visitors find a restored interior with a staircase to the gallery and a mezzanine floor. A new organ and paved stone floor, incorporating older ledger stones, were installed after the fire in 1975. The Chapel of Unity sits at the west end of the south aisle, and clerestory lights brighten the nave and chancel. The churchyard remains well-stocked with monuments, and William Dyce is commemorated by a memorial tablet. The building’s history is visible in its architecture, from the medieval tower to the 19th-century chancel designed by William Dyce.