Parish Church Of St Nicholas

Parish Church of St Nicholas

A parish church of limestone rubble with reused Ketton and Barnack stone, featuring Ketton ashlar to the chancel walls and Barnack and Ketton stone dressings, with lead covered roofs.

The building has a long construction history spanning several centuries. The nave arcades date from around 1230 to 1240, with a late 13th century north transept added subsequently. An early 14th century chancel and south aisles followed. In the late 15th century, the chancel was partly rebuilt and lengthened, the nave arcade and clerestory were heightened, and the upper walls of the south transept were raised. The west tower has late 14th century arches with late 15th or early 16th century upper stages. The early 16th century saw further extensions: the north aisle was extended westwards, the south aisle was lengthened and widened, a vaulted north vestry was constructed, and a rood loft and staircase were added. The roof of the north transept was renewed in 1701. The church underwent restoration in 1869.

The south elevation displays a three-stage west tower, with the ground stage enclosed by north and south aisles and a clerestory continuing westwards on the north and south walls up to the second stage. The tower features a moulded plinth and embattled parapet with gargoyles to each centre and a band of quatrefoils below, with large heraldic beasts at each corner. Clasping buttresses rise to the third stage. The second stage carries a clock face, and the third stage has a belfry window of four transomed lights in a four-centred arch with traceried spandrels and a moulded square-headed label with beast stops. The embattled clerestory contains three windows (with a similar fourth in the first stage of the tower) each with three cinquefoil lights and vertical tracery in four-centred heads.

The south aisle has a moulded plinth and embattled parapet with strings below decorated with 14th century grotesque faces and ball-flower ornament. Three reset 14th century windows have two pointed lights with pierced spandrels and moulded labels. A 15th century south doorway has moulded jambs, a four-centred head and moulded label. The chancel displays a late 15th century cinquefoil-light window with trefoil spandrels in a four-centred head with moulded label, stepped to an earlier low-side 14th century window with two pointed lights, pierced spandrel, two-centre head with moulded label and carved stops.

Interior features include north and south arcades of three bays from around 1230 to 1240, heightened and rebuilt with semi-circular arches of two chamfered orders, piers and responds with 15th century moulded octagonal capitals and 13th century moulded bases. The north-east angle of the nave contains a 16th century rood-loft doorway. The tower arches are two-centred of two orders with moulded label to the nave; the chamfered inner order springs from semi-circular attached shafts with moulded semi-octagonal capitals and bases, while the north and south arcades have two additional chamfered orders.

The chancel arch is late 15th century with two moulded orders, the outer springing from chamfered responds and the inner from attached semi-octagonal shafts with moulded capitals. A north 16th century doorway has moulded jambs, a four-centred head with an oak studded door featuring integral vertical ribs and strap hinges.

The north vestry contains a vault of two bays with quadripartite vaulting and moulded ribs springing from semi-octagonal moulded corbels. One original east window has two trefoiled lights, and doorways feature chamfered jambs and two-centred heads; a blocked square-headed north window remains. A former chamber over the vestry is accessed from the rood stair.

The roofs incorporate significant historic material: the chancel roof incorporates some timbers from around 1500; the nave roof of three bays is inscribed 'ANNO 1615' and features moulded tiebeams, moulded purlins, wall plates and short king posts, each tiebeam carved with a heart and wheel on each face. The north transept roof dates from around 1700 with cambered chamfered tiebeams, chamfered ridge and purlins. The north and south aisle pent roofs date from around 1700, with the south aisle roof inscribed 'R.N.' and 'IH 1701 S.C. W.K. W.M.' Six brackets include some of carved earlier material.

Interior furnishings and fittings include an octagonal font with a replacement bowl to a late 15th century octagonal stem base and step. An early 14th century mullioned locker and niches and recesses in the north transept and north vestry survive. A piscina of early 14th century date features chamfered jambs and a trefoiled head, alongside 15th century sedilia. A five-bay chancel screen has wide two-ogee trefoiled arches, and sixteen nave benches with carved poppy heads date from the 15th century. Paintings of late 15th or early 16th century depict St Mary Magdalene and Christ rising from the tomb. A small fireplace serves the vestry.

A doorway was cut through the north wall in the early 19th century when the transept was used as a schoolroom. For monuments and floor slabs, reference should be made to the Royal Commission on the Historical Monuments of England and the Victoria County History.