Chapel St Leonards

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Chapel St. Leonards is a village in Lincolnshire on the east coast of England and is situated just 5 miles to the north of the resort of Skegness. It is administered by East Lindsey District Council.

The village is primary a location for caravan park holidays, with its main attraction being several miles of beaches.

Away from the hubbub of Skegness, the village is close to the many attractions this region has to offer, including Fantasy Island, market towns and the Lincolnshire Wolds.

Another feature of the town is Chapel Point, which is just over a mile from the centre of the village. Chapel Point was once part of a major coastal defence line during World War II and has now been restored. The restoration has included the Gun Structure and the Viewing Platform. In recent years, become a favourite location for bird spotters as it is frequently visited by a number of overseas birds including the Mediterranean Gull.

[edit] History

The name of the village derives from the fact that there was originally a chapel of Mumby dedicated to St Leonard here, the parish history bring tied very closely to Mumby parish and Mumby Chapel as, at one time, they were all part of one large ecclesiastical entity.

The chapel was rebuilt in 1572 after a flood and it was again rebuilt in 1794 on a much smaller scale. There was further rebuilding in 1866 and in 1901 the church was lengthened and the tower built. The red tiled tower is unique in Lincolnshire.

In 1924, the chancel was enlarged and lengthened with a new east window and reredos. As it stands, the present Anglican parish church only has registers that date from 1665, although Bishop's transcripts go back as far as 1568.