Church Of St Nicholas

Church of St Nicholas

This parish church at Tillingham has a building history spanning from the 12th century to the 19th century. The 12th-century nave was followed by a 13th-century chancel that was rebuilt and lengthened. The 14th century saw the rebuilding of the chancel arch and the addition of the south aisle and west tower. During the 19th century, the south aisle was rebuilt, the south arcade restored, and a south porch and north vestry were added.

The church is built of septaria and flint rubble with limestone dressings. The roofs are red plain tiles in two levels with parapet verges and cross finials.

The chancel's east wall features a two-stage angle buttress. Three 13th-century lancet windows (restored in the 19th century) with quatrefoils to the apex are present, along with three similar windows to the north and south walls. The nave has three buttresses to its north wall and two cusped two-light windows with two-centred arched heads. Between these windows is the 12th-century north doorway with a plain round head and segmental head supporting a diapered tympanum. The south aisle has two buttresses and three trefoiled two-light windows with segmental heads to each light.

A red-tiled gabled porch with pierced bargeboards and finial is present, featuring a flint rubble plinth and partly glazed timber frame.

The west tower is crenellated with a raised and crenellated south-east stair turret. The tower is of three stages with buttresses to its western angles. The stair turret has five small lights, with gargoyles at the angles and a weathervane above. A clock is mounted on the south face. The two-centre arched west doorway has double hollow chamfered jambs and a vertically boarded door. The west window has two cusped lights with a quatrefoil over and a two-centre arched head with label and head stops. The second stage has north, south and west windows that are trefoiled under square heads. The bell chamber has sounding louvres of two cusped lights under square heads with labels over. There is a lean-to north vestry.

Interior

The chancel roof is of five cants with moulded stone corbels supporting carved wall posts and bracing that form segmental arches to each bay. The sanctuary has an inlaid warble floor. A 13th-century piscina with a two-centre arched head, moulded bases to moulded jambs, octofoil drain, and chamfered shelf is present. The 13th-century sedilia comprises three bays with two-centre arched heads, with the middle bays on shouldered corbels. Nineteenth-century stained glass is fitted to the lancet windows. Marble reredos panels are present. A 13th-century blocked segmental arched doorway in the south wall lies between the western windows. The choir stalls have 19th-century traceried fronts.

A brass to Edward Wiot dated 1584 is said to be located in the south wall behind a door in the panelling. The brass depicts a kneeling figure in a cloak and trunk hose with a coat of arms.

The 14th-century two-centred chancel arch has two chamfered orders with responds featuring semi-octagonal shafts with moulded capitals. A 19th or 20th-century traceried screen of four panels and a centre arch is present, with a Rood and two Maries over it.

The nave roof is similar to that in the chancel. A 19th-century octagonal carved wooden pulpit has moulded capitals and bases to angle shafts, with two trefoiled roundheaded arches with tracery over to each face. The north doorway has a segmental head.

The south arcade comprises four bays with two-centred arches of two chamfered orders, moulded capitals and bases to octagonal columns, and attached half columns to the responds. The south aisle has a ceiled lean-to roof.

The west tower arch is two-centred with three chamfered orders, the inner of which continues through the responds. Two 15th-century doors in the stair turret are constructed of vertically nailed and lapped boards with feathered strap hinges, set within a sunk chamfered doorway.

A wall plaque records the restoration of the church between 1888 and 1911, with a rededication in 1891.

The 12th-century font has a square bowl with carved foliage in relief and a chamfered base. It is supported by a large central column and four corner support columns, all with moulded bases and capitals.