Church Of Saint Nicholas

The Church of St Nicholas is a parish church dating from the 13th century, with significant alterations and additions made in the late 13th, 14th, and 15th centuries. It was restored by Scott in 1865-7. The church is constructed of cobbles with freestone dressings.

The building consists of a 13th-century nave and aisles, a late 13th-century tower, a late 14th/15th-century enlargement, and a chancel with north and south aisled chapels and an eastern crypt. The west tower has three stages and is embraced by a westward extension of the nave aisles. It features a chamfered plinth, angle buttresses with offsets, chamfered strings, and a crenellated parapet with eight crocketed pinnacles. The west door is a pointed double-chamfered opening with a stopped hoodmould, and the four-light west window has Perpendicular tracery.

The nave has buttresses, grouped lancet windows, and a clerestory with 3-light pointed windows with Perpendicular tracery. The south door is a pointed opening under an oblong hoodmould with trefoils and mouchettes to the spandrels. The chancel has a moulded plinth, corner buttresses, grouped lancets to the south aisle, and a five-light pointed window with Perpendicular tracery added in 1430 to both the north and south walls. The eastern window is a seven-light pointed opening with Perpendicular tracery, and the parapet has crocketed pinnacles and a cross finial.

Inside, the tower has triple-chamfered arches to the north and south. The nave arcades consist of pointed arches with continuous double chamfers, the north arcades having high bases and the south arcades having similar, lower, bases. The pointed chancel arch has continuous fluted mouldings. There are pointed arches to the north and south arcades in the chancel with continuous chamfer and a scrolled hoodmould. A crypt of unknown date is located below the east bay. It is accessible by a spiral stair from the north choir aisle and a small door, and contains a fireplace with a rebated opening under a segmental arch, and an early 19th-century brick vault. An octagonal font from the early 13th century is located at the west end of the nave. Various memorials are present, including a 13th-century recumbent effigy in secular clothing, two recumbent effigies of a knight and lady, and an alabaster tomb chest to Revd. Anthony St. Quintin, died 1430, which bears early graffiti including "footprints."