Cathedral of St Nicholas

The Cathedral of St Nicholas is a parish church, elevated to cathedral status in 1882, primarily dating from the mid-14th century. Earlier fabric is incorporated into the northwest crossing and north arcade, while the tower and spire are 15th century. Numerous alterations have occurred over the centuries, most notably the addition of north and south porches in the 19th century by J. Green and Dobson.

The building is constructed mainly of sandstone, both coursed and squared, with modern ashlar sections, and covered by lead roofs. It features a west tower with transepts and porches, an aisled nave with a south chapel, transepts, and an aisled chancel containing a north chapel and a south vestry which houses the Thomlinson Library. Windows are predominantly Decorated in the transepts, south aisle, and clerestory, while Perpendicular styles are used elsewhere; many of these have been renewed. The entrance doors are renewed and mostly from the late 20th century, set within moulded arches within gabled porches – the north and south porches are tall and under tall windows.

The tower is three-stage with prominent polygonal buttresses, with a 5-light window above the entrance doorway. Smaller 2-light windows and tall, paired 2-light belfry openings are on the upper stages, surmounted by a pierced, battlemented parapet which centreside pinnacles and taller corner pinnacles enclosing four flying buttresses that hold a square lantern. A smaller, battlemented parapet and pinnacles adorn the octagonal spire.

Inside, the walls are of coursed squared sandstone with ashlar dressings, with arch-braced panelled roofs and heraldic bosses. There are four-bay nave and chancel arcades, featuring octagonal columns with plinths but without capitals, and triple-chamfered arches springing directly from them. The crossing arches are similarly styled, however, the chancel arch sits on responds with capitals. The tower features arches in a comparable style with five chamfers and a ribbed vault. The interior also includes head-stopped drip-moulds to the arcades, a string and drip-mould to the aisle, and a plain clerestory. A low blind arcade is found on the south wall, interrupted by a chapel. A crypt, located in the north transept, has a 5-mouchette window and chamfered segmental transverse ribs. A stone font, octagonal in shape, bears the arms of Robert Rhodes, a 15th-century benefactor, and a high crocketed cover. A pre-Reformation brass eagle lectern is also present. The south chapel has medieval roundels depicting the Virgin and Child in each window, alongside much 19th-century glass commemorating local industrialists and Grey of Falloden. Several monuments are present, including two medieval grave covers, a 14th-century effigy of a knight, a large 15th-century incised brass, and a selection of 17th and 19th-century memorials, including works by J. Bacon, Rossi, Flaxman, Baily, Dunbar, George Simmonds, and F.W. Pomeroy.