St Wilfrid

There are two 14th century porches and entrances, traditionally north for 'Harcourt' and south for 'Beauchamp'. Many windows contain stained glass pictures of biblical stories. The wooden rood screen dates from the late 19th century as does the carved pulpit and choir stalls in the nave.

The church is dedicated to St. Wilfrid (634-709) who is primarily remembered as the leading bishop who persuaded the Great Synod of Whitby to forge greater links with Rome and the papal authority from the late 7th century rather than continue the Celtic tradition of Christianity.

The ancient stone font was removed from the church by Captain John Yaxley, the puritan Roundhead minister, in the 1650s, and was used as a horse trough until it was re-instated in 1864 and the plain 17th century font given to a church in Zanzibar. The steeple collapsed in 1825 and was replaced with the current tower in the 1830s after considerable lengthy and bitter discussions in the parish.

The parish of Kibworth is the subject of a major BBC TV series entitled 'The Story of England' by Michael Wood (2010). This traces the history of the three current villages: Kibworth Harcourt, Kibworth Beauchamo and Smeeton Westerby, from their early beginnings in the Roman period right up to the present day in six programmes. It includes much of the history about the church since its main construction in the 13th century and it being a central community hub for residents from then until now.