St Helen's Church, Ashby-de-la-Zouch

St Helen's Church, Ashby-de-la-Zouch
St Helen's Church, Ashby-de-la-Zouch
	From the southeast
	St Helen's Church, Ashby-de-la-Zouch
	52°44′50.4″N 1°28′.8″W / 52.747333°N 1.466889°W
Location	Ashby de la Zouch, Leicestershire
Country	United Kingdom
Denomination	Church of England
Churchmanship	Broad Church
Website	http://sthelensashby.net/
History
Dedication	St. Helen
Architecture
Heritage designation	Grade I listed building
Architectural type	English Gothic
Administration
Province	Canterbury
Diocese	Diocese of Leicester
Archdeaconry	Loughborough
Parish	Ashby-de-la-Zouch
Clergy
Rector	Rev Canon Mary E Gregory
Laity
Organist(s)	Andrew Chapman
Churchwarden(s)	Helen Smith and Caroline Essex

St Helen's Church is the Anglican parish church of Ashby-de-la-Zouch, in the deanery of North West Leicestershire and the Diocese of Leicester. There was a church in the town in the 11th century, but the core of the present building mainly dates from work started in 1474, when the church was rebuilt by William Hastings at the same time that he converted his neighbouring manor house into a castle. The church was refurbished in about 1670 to create more space, but the large and increasing size of the congregation led to further work in 1829, and a major rebuild in 1878–80, including the widening of the nave by the addition of two outer aisles.

The sandstone church has a tower at the west end, and its nave is wider than it is long due to the extra Victorian aisles. St Helen's Church has some ancient stained glass at the east end, and the Victorian windows on the nave and towers form a coherent narrative of the life of Jesus. Other fixtures include some important funereal monuments, and a font, pulpit and carved heads by Thomas Earp. The finger pillory is a rare item, once seen as a humane form of punishment. The church has a long association with the Hastings family, its patrons for four centuries, and became a centre for Puritanism under Henry Hastings, 3rd Earl of Huntingdon. The "Puritan Earl" brought a series of radical figures to the town, including Anthony Gilby and Arthur Hildersham. St Helen's Church is a nationally important building, with a Grade I listing for its exceptional architectural interest.