Former Church Of St Nicholas

This former church, now used as a restaurant with an office in the crypt, dates from 1730–35 and is attributed to either Thomas White or Humphrey Hollins, though the attribution has been disputed by various architectural historians. The building has earlier origins, possibly dating to the 16th century in the crypt, and underwent later additions and alterations including interior modifications and the addition of a gallery (attributed by Colvin to Thomas Johnson of Warwick in 1790, though its appearance suggests mid-19th century work).

The structure is built of limestone ashlar over brick, with sandstone to the crypt, and features a concealed roof. The plan comprises an apsidal rectangular preaching box raised over a crypt, with a four-stage west tower and cupola. The main body measures five bays by three, with the westernmost bay on each side serving as a staircase bay, framing the central entrance and tower bay to the west.

The architectural style is classicizing Baroque, with the tower design taken directly from Gibbs's Book of Architecture (1728).

The west facade presents a tall chamfered plinth surmounted by giant Doric pilasters at the ends, forming stepped angles and doubled at the portal bay. Horizontal rustication runs across the facade, beneath a continuous crowning cornice that breaks forward over the columns and features a central segmental pediment displaying a coat of arms, which interrupts a ramped balustrade with bulbous balusters. The entrance comprises three-quarter engaged Doric columns topped by a frieze with triglyphs and metopes and a pediment; four renewed steps lead to tall double doors with twenty raised-and-fielded panels. A horizontal oval window sits above. The side bays contain round-arched niches with sills on corbels and cavetto-moulded architraves, imposts and keystones; roundels appear above.

The tower displays considerable variety across its stages. The first stage is square with stepped corners, featuring a central breakforward to each side with a clock to the west in a moulded surround; round-arched windows to north and south have multi-pane glazing set in cavetto-moulded architraves with imposts and keystones, with a continuous cornice raised segmentally over clock and windows. The second stage presents a central pedimented breakforward to each facade with round-arched belfry openings fitted with louvered covers, set in moulded architraves with sills, keystones and imposts, and topped by a continuous moulded cornice. The third stage features similar round-arched belfry openings with louvered covers on each face; a moulded cornice surmounts the double-curved cap and cupola, which comprises Doric columns, a moulded cornice, and a dome with crowning ball finial and weather-vane.

The north and south sides are identical: the westernmost bay breaks forward with giant pilasters at the ends, horizontal rustication, a crowning entablature and balustrade matching the west facade. The remainder consists of the nave sitting above the crypt (which reads as a plinth) and is topped by a crowning moulded cornice and low parapet. Five round-arched windows in total feature twelve fixed panes and side-lights, with radial glazing to the heads. The westernmost window on each side has moulded architraves with keystones and imposts and a moulded sill on corbel brackets; beneath these windows is an oblong panel with moulded surround.

The east end features three similar round-arched windows to the apse with rectangular panels beneath, and an oculus above the central window. A crowning frieze, cornice and parapet continues from the nave. To the north-east, a flight of five steps curves around the apse to a renewed door with a triangular pediment on corbel brackets. An outshut extends to the south-east. The crypt wall to the north contains two blocked doors set within 16th-century arches; the entrance to the right has a chamfered lintel and glazed doors, with rectangular single-splayed lights arranged in groups of three.

The interior begins with an entrance hall to the west containing four giant round-arched openings. The western opening is blind and features an inner timber porch with fluted Doric columns and double part-glazed and panelled doors, with similar single side doors. In the north and south arches are cast-iron overthrows with lamps. An 'imperial' staircase to the north side has flights to the tower and gallery with rod-on-vase balusters and moulded handrail; the south staircase is divided into three sections. Three entrances to the nave have double part-glazed, raised-and-fielded-panel doors.

The nave features a gallery on three sides mounted on cast-iron pillars. The gallery displays a blind arcaded balustrade in French Decorated Gothic style with cast-iron foliate embellishments on each arcade and roundels in the spandrels, together with a nailhead frieze. The nave itself has a raised and fielded panel dado. The apse contains tall raised-and-fielded panels and a central pediment with delicate scrolled decoration within, set on Roman Doric pilasters and topped by a frieze with triglyphs and foliate decoration to the metopes, the whole curved around the apse. This arrangement incorporates two arched raised-and-fielded inscription panels. The wine-glass pulpit features a similar arcade, with stairs up having rod-on-vase balusters. A scotia-torus moulded cornice runs throughout; the ceiling displays plaster ribs and circular Adam-style vents (the central one renewed). Cast-iron foliate balusters line the altar rails. All windows feature keystones and deep reveals, mostly with splayed sills. Those to the east end contain stained glass in memory of the First World War; others have opaque glass with stained quatrefoils to the margins. The south-east vestry has a six-raised-and-fielded-panel door and a fireplace with a shelf on brackets and late Victorian tiles. The gallery contains several good late 17th- and 18th-century wall monuments. The crypt is vaulted.

The authorship of this church has been a matter of scholarly dispute. Pevsner attributed it to Humphrey Hollins in 1968; Baker and the 1971 listing credited Thomas White; Colvin in 1978 attributed the 1790 gallery to Thomas Johnson of Warwick and Worcester; and Cruikshank in 1985 again attributed the main building to Humphrey Hollins, while noting it is also assigned to Thomas White. The tower design derives almost exactly from a published but unexecuted version for St Martin-in-the-Fields in Gibbs's Book of Architecture.

This church occupies an important corner site at the junction of The Cross, St Nicholas Street, Angel Street and Foregate, serving as a key streetscape feature. It forms part of a significant group of four largely 18th-century churches in Worcester, along with the Church of All Saints on Broad Street, the Church of St Swithin on Church Street, and the Church of St Martin on Cornmarket. Together with the Cathedral and St Andrew's Church Tower on Deansway, these towers form the most prominent features of Worcester's skyline.