Church Of St Nicholas

CHURCH OF ST NICHOLAS, HALEWOOD

Anglican church, originally built as a chapel of ease in 1839 to designs by A Y & G Williams of Liverpool. The church was enlarged in 1847 with the addition of transepts and a small polygonal apse (rebuilt in 1894). The tower was added in 1882–3 by Cornelius Sherlock. The building is constructed of coursed red sandstone with slate roofs, tiled ridge crests, sandstone copings and kneelers, and lead-lined timber rainwater goods. It follows the Early English style throughout.

The plan is cruciform with a south-west tower, polygonal apse to the south-east end, and a north-west organ gallery. The nave comprises 3 bays (with 5 bays to the north-east side including 2 bays to the north-west end, internally separated and converted to a meeting area and vestry). Windows throughout are leaded and stained glass lancet designs with quoined surrounds and continuous dripmouls to the nave and transept side walls.

The north and south transepts feature diagonal corner buttresses and triple lancet windows to their gable ends with taller centre lights, dripmouls, and small quatrefoil windows above. Each transept has two lancet windows to its north-west wall matching the nave style. The three-gabled polygonal apse has a hipped roof to its central area behind the gables with tiled ridge and hips. All three sides of the apse have triple lancet windows with dripmouls and plain water spouts to the outer angles. A slender external three-stage octagonal chimney with arrow-loop windows and conical cap, part of the coke and subsequently oil-fired heating system, is attached to the north-east corner of the apse and north transept. A short stair to the north-east side of the apse leads to a basement room.

The four-stage south-west tower has full-height angled buttresses and a crenellated parapet with corner crocketed pinnacles. The south-west elevation has a multi-chamfered pointed arch doorway (originally an open porch, now with a large partly glazed modern oak door) and two small lancet windows with continuous hoodmould to the second stage. A decorative band sits above, with a clock set within a square recessed panel to the third stage. A projecting stringcourse above supports large two-light paired arched belfry windows to all four sides. The north-west side has a second arched opening infilled with a panelled oak screen (glazed to the upper part), three similar lancet windows to the second stage, and a projecting stringcourse above. An external stair tower with narrow cusped arrow-loop windows is attached to the south-east side of the tower and rises to the second stage.

The interior features plastered walls and a stone flag floor (partially covered by carpet). In 2006–07 a tiled floor was installed to the former open porch of the tower, matching the original design. A timber door with segmental pointed head and decorative strap hinges to the south-east side of the former porch leads into the stair tower.

The wide nave and short transepts retain their original box pews and hammerbeam roofs. Each hammerbeam is decorated with the eagle and child emblem of Lord Derby. The nave is lit by three leaded lancet windows on each side featuring stained glass depictions of saints, the Virgin Mary, and Christ; those to the south side by Burne-Jones (1874) represent St Timothy, St Paul, and Melchisedek. Large triple lancet windows by W H Sullivan (1871) light each transept gable wall; the north transept window shows a complete pictorial scene depicting the meeting of St Philip with the Eunuch, while the south transept contains a children's window with various Bible stories. Two lancet windows to the west wall of the north transept by Burne-Jones depict Mary the Virgin and St Elizabeth. Two further windows to the south transept, also by Burne-Jones, depict St Dorothy and St Cecilia.

Triple lancet windows to the side walls of the apse by Burne-Jones depict St Matthew, two flying angels with long trumpets, St Mark, St Luke, and St John (all dating to approximately 1882). The triple lancet window behind the altar (1892) has a centre light by Burne-Jones depicting St Nicholas of Myra; the flanking side lights by William Morris depict a flying angel with a T-shaped dulcimer and an angel with an organ. A plain panelled reredos sits to the rear of the apse, with a pierced and partly painted timber altar rail featuring carved angel finials. The apse floor is laid with chequerboard parquet, and a modern altar stands on a raised platform in front of the apse.

A carved timber pulpit occupies the nave. The north-west organ gallery is accessed by a timber dog-leg stair at the rear of the church; it houses a Henry Willis organ with the console moved from the front of the gallery to the north transept. Beneath the gallery (originally part of the nave) a modernised area is separated from the nave by a glazed oak screen. This area contains a lancet window to the north wall by Burne-Jones depicting the Adoration of the Magi. A modern curved internal wall to the west side includes several oak doors leading to a toilet, vestry, the original entrance door, and the gallery stair.

The church received electricity in the 1930s and chandeliers were installed in the 1950s. The building was re-roofed in 2004–5. The open porch to the tower was enclosed in early 2007 to prevent vandalism. A toilet was inserted to the rear of the church at this time, along with the creation of a new vestry and a new screen leading into the nave.