Church Of St Nicholas

Church of St Nicholas

Parish church dating from the mid-15th century, completed in 1488, with minor alterations in the 16th and 17th centuries. The building underwent extensive restoration in 1858, which included rebuilding the north aisle and south porch, partial rebuilding of the south aisle and nave, re-roofing, re-flooring, renewal of all window tracery, installation of a new tower parapet, and construction of a new vestry.

The main structure comprises a nave with south and north aisles, a west tower, a two-bay chancel with a vestry adjoining its north side, and a south porch. The lower sections of the tower, nave, and south aisle are built in random and roughly-coursed cobbles; the upper section of the tower uses coursed cobbles with ashlar bands. The north aisle and porch are constructed in coursed split black cobbles with ashlar bands, whilst the chancel is of limestone ashlar. Ashlar dressings appear throughout, and the roof is Welsh slate.

The west tower is two-staged with diagonal buttresses having offsets to the tall first stage and clasping buttresses to the top stage. The first stage features a pointed three-light west window with Perpendicular tracery and an original hoodmould, together with a small square-headed window above and a moulded string course. The second stage is stepped-in and contains pointed two-light cinquefoiled Y-traceried belfry openings fitted with 19th-century clock faces. A moulded string course and coped embattled ashlar parapet with cobbled trefoiled panels complete the tower top.

The north aisle has angle and mid buttresses, a restored pointed double hollow-chamfered door, and square-headed three-light cinquefoiled windows. The south aisle similarly features diagonal buttresses and square-headed three-light windows. The nave is characterised by quoins, three four-centred-arch two-light trefoiled clerestory windows, and a corbel table of plain moulded corbels with spouts and shaped kneelers. The chancel displays angle and mid buttresses, pointed three-light windows with Perpendicular tracery, a coped embattled parapet, and crocketed pinnacles. The vestry is finished with quoins and a pointed three-light east window with Perpendicular tracery. The porch features a chamfered plinth, quoins, a pointed moulded outer arch, triangular-headed side windows, and a restored pointed moulded inner arch with paterae.

Internally, a pointed triple-chamfered tower arch with double-chamfered responds and plain moulded capitals and bases gives access to the church. The nave arcades comprise pointed double-chamfered arches resting on octagonal piers with plain moulded capitals and bases. The west responds are octagonal, whilst the east responds are corbelled and carry carved details: a lion's head to the north and an angel holding a shield to the south. A similar pointed double-chamfered chancel arch springs from corbelled responds also adorned with angels holding shields. The chancel contains a 19th-century pointed vestry door and an arch to the organ chamber. Many ashlar dressings show weathering; most were re-cut during the 19th-century restoration.

The chancel roof is a painted five-bay arch-braced structure with carved bosses and angels holding shields. The nave roof is a three-bay queen-post design with carved wooden head corbels.

A grave slab commemorating William Copland, dated 1491 and bearing a Gothic Latin border inscription, is preserved in the porch. It was repositioned there in 1858 from its original location in the central nave aisle.

Historical records suggest that a church at Withernsea and a contemporary church at nearby Owthorne (since lost to the sea) were built in the 13th century. The present church lost its roof in 1609 and remained derelict until its restoration in 1858. The arcades closely resemble those of the contemporary Church of St Helen at Skeffling. Photographs of the church prior to the 1858 restoration were hanging in the nave at the time of survey.