Church of St. Mary & St. Nicholas, Leatherhead

The Church of St Mary & St Nicholas stands in the centre of Leatherhead, a town in Mole Valley, Surrey. Built originally in the 11th century, it remains in use as an Anglican parish church. The building is Grade II* listed, marking its national importance. Most of the church dates from the early 13th century, with the nave arcades showing French late-Transitional style. The tower, added in the late 15th century, has large angle buttresses and carved spandrels above the West Door. Heavy 19th-century restorations by Arthur Blomfield uncovered earlier features, including plaster still visible on the south aisle wall. The church is known for its music heritage. A restored English pipe organ, based on 18th-century pipework, now stands in the west-end gallery under the tower. The original organ, built by Thomas Parker and once favoured by Handel, was moved from Watford in 1846. After a fire in 1983 damaged the north transept, the organ was rebuilt using surviving Parker material and installed again in 2007. The rebuilt instrument is used regularly in services and recitals. A simpler electronic organ replaced it during the restoration. Inside, visitors find two frescoes of the Annunciation beside the chancel arch, painted by Messrs Buckeridge and Floyce. Stained glass windows date from the mid-19th century. Outside, a memorial to Admiral Sir James Wishart features models of ships, and the author Anthony Hope lies buried in the graveyard. The churchyard also holds the pauper’s grave of the unknown woman whose death inspired the folk ballad "Poor Murdered Woman."