Parish Church Of St Nicholas

TL 66 NE TL 76 NW KENNETT DANE HILL ROAD (north side)

6/132 7/132 Parish Church of St Nicholas 19.8.59 II*

Small parish church with an original early C13 nave, north-aisle, and chancel extended later in C13 by one bay with three very fine windows and double piscena. The tower appears to be late C13 or early C14, and to have been completed later in C14. The north doorway is transitional in style and noteworthy. The north porch, chancel arch and screen, and tower arch are C15. The roofs are modern and were possibly rebuilt after wartime bomb damage. Walls of flint and rubble originally plastered, with limestone and clunch dressings, clunch arcade, piscena and openings. Graded slate gable roofs with modern stone parapets and kneelers. West tower and angle buttresses of four stages; embattled parapet, shallow plinth. Sealed belfrey lights to west facade, two-centred west doorway arch of two chamfered orders, second stage three-light window in two-centred arch with intersecting mullions; belfrey window of two, cinquefoil lights with a quartrefoil in two-centred arch. North elevation: north porch has partly resorted C15 moulded arch. North doorway with round headed arch and label terminating at moulded imposts has two slender detached ringed shafts with water leaf capitals and moulded bases. North aisle, unbuttressed, with long and short stone quoins, similar to rear wall of tower and with original flint courses has three lancet windows, one a modern replacement. Chancel, with original C13 flint coursing has a straight joint where it was extended later in C13. The lancet sanctuary windows, all partly restored, have detached shafts with deeply moulded bell capitals and bases, those in the east window have shafts with rings. The north window has two lancet lights, the south window three, and the east window three lights with a common label and head stops. The late C13 double piscena with foiled drains has two deeply moulded two-centre arches with trefoiled inner arches, divided by detached shafts with deeply moulded caps and bases. Label has finely carved foliate stops and central boss. North arcade of three bays and one bay terminating in wall of tower has two-centred, steeply pitched arches of two chamfered orders with labels; octagonal piers with plain capitals and bases. C15 tower arch and chancel arch, two-centred with two chamfered orders, moulded capitals and bases and semi octagonal piers. The screen, contemporary with the chancel arch is carved on both sides, the central arch a blind ogee with rosettes in the spandrels was once painted. The font, early C14 square limestone with chamfered corners stands on single shaft with moulded capital and base and square plinth. Stained glass windows, C19, by A Gibbs, 38 Bedford Street, London.

Pevsner. Buildings of England, p.416 St Nicholas Parish Church History. 1968

Listing NGR: TL6999068352