Church Of St Nicholas

Church of St Nicholas

This church, located on the south side of Wetwang Main Street, dates primarily to the 12th, 13th and 14th centuries with later additions and alterations. It underwent significant restoration between 1895 and 1902, and the chancel was extensively restored by the architect C H Fowler for Sir Tatton Sykes, 5th Baronet of Sledmere.

The building is constructed of limestone ashlar with a lead roof. It comprises a 2-stage west tower, a 4-bay nave with a north aisle and a 2-bay transeptal chapel, a 2-bay chancel, and a single-bay north organ room.

The west tower has a stepped and chamfered plinth with clasping buttresses featuring off-sets. To the west side of the first stage is a lancet window, with a first-stage band above. The belfry stage has twin-light windows with geometric tracery to the north, south and west sides, set within round-arched surrounds; the east side has two lancet openings instead. A corbel table of masks and flowers runs below an embattled parapet with a band of mouchette decoration and pierced quatrefoils to the merlons. A stair turret to the south-east corner has blocked slit windows.

The nave's south side has been largely rebuilt. The second bay contains a studded plank door within a chamfered pointed surround. The first bay features a 19th-century three-stepped cinquefoil-light window in a cavetto-moulded surround. Between the irregular third and fourth bays is a similar 3-light window with round-arched and straight-headed lights to either side in double-chamfered surrounds. The eaves are chamfered.

The north aisle has a chamfered plinth and its main entrance, at the second bay, is a 19th-century studded plank door in a 13th-century pointed roll-moulded surround on shafts with eroded foliate capitals. The first bay contains a 2-light straight-headed Perpendicular-type window under a hoodmould with face stops; a similar window appears at the west end. The parapet is low.

The transeptal chapel has a chamfered plinth and angle buttresses. The west side has a 2-light pointed window with geometric tracery to the head, the north side a 19th-century pointed 3-light window with geometric-type tracery, and the east side a 3-light pointed window with re-cut geometric tracery to the head.

The chancel has buttresses with off-sets. The south side features a priest's entrance—a studded plank door in an ogeed surround. Straight-headed Perpendicular-type windows under hoodmoulds appear on the north and south sides. The east end has a 3-light reticulated-type window under a hoodmould with face stops.

Internally, the tower arch is double-chamfered and pointed, with an inner order of cylindrical responds bearing moulded bases and capitals. The nave's north side has a 4-bay arcade: the westernmost arch is pointed on partly re-cut responds; the other three bays have double-chamfered arches—the second is round while the two easternmost are pointed. From west to east, the responds and piers are: a cylindrical respond with a scallop capital, an octagonal pier, two cylindrical piers, and an octagonal respond, all with moulded bases and hollow-chamfered capitals. The arch from the north aisle into the transeptal chapel is double-chamfered and pointed, supported on octagonal responds on both north and south sides. A blocked double-chamfered arch on octagonal responds with chamfered bases and moulded capitals appears on the south side, with a trefoil piscina to its east. A similar re-cut piscina is located at the east end of the north aisle, and a re-used scallop capital appears in the north chapel. The chancel contains a 19th-century cinquefoil piscina.