Church of St Nicholas (Church of England)

The Church of St. Nicholas is a parish church dating back to the 13th century or earlier. It has undergone several phases of construction and restoration. The original nave dates from the 13th century, with a three-bay north aisle added in the late 13th century and a four-bay south aisle and reconfigured nave in the early 14th century. The north aisle was extended westward, and a west tower was built over the west bay of the nave and aisles, which were subsequently shortened. The tower's top stage and the nave's clerestory were added in the 15th century. A major restoration took place between 1872 and 1874 by A.W. Blomfield, who rebuilt the chancel, chancel arch, south organ chamber, and south porch.

The church is constructed of flint rubble with stone dressings, and has roofs of metal and old red tile. It is a village church, featuring a square-ended chancel, a clerestoried nave of three bays, and aisles with parapets. A south porch and organ chamber are present, along with an embattled west tower with a pyramidial tile roof and diagonal buttresses.

The chancel contains encaustic and glazed tile pavement at the altar, a fleur-de-lis tiled east wall, and a carved reredos recessed beneath the east window. A three-bay open timber roof features arched braced principals and wind braces. An aumbry is located in the south wall near the altar. A small cartouche painted with three hop plants sits above the door leading to the organ chamber. A marble wall monument, dating to circa 1815 and created by Kendrick, commemorates Lt-Col Stables, depicting a Grecian sarcophagus with the word "Waterloo" within an oval wreath.

The nave's late 13th-century north arcade has two-centred arches of two chamfered orders, supported by octagonal columns with moulded capitals and bases. A 19th-century column and short wall with a narrow arch replace the original respond at the east end. At the west end of the arcade, two responds face each other; the western one is from an arch added during the construction of the south arcade and aisle, lost when the tower was built. The early 14th-century south arcade includes a 19th-century arch at the east end, but preserves the springing of the original fourth bay at the west end. The clerestory has three two-light, trefoil-headed windows on each side. Six carved head corbels support the wall posts of the former open timber roof, now sealed between tie beams. The north aisle contains a north door, four windows on the north side, a three-light east window, a screened-off vestry at the west (added in 1974), and a recessed brass wall plate from 1696, commemorating a bequest by William Delawood of London. The south aisle features a 15th-century south door, three south windows, and an arch leading to the organ chamber at the east. Grotesque head corbels are prominent on the aisle roofs, which are low-pitched and feature moulded principals, purlins, cornices, and traceried brackets off wall posts.

The three-stage west tower includes a wide late 14th-century tower arch of three chamfered orders, with three engaged jamb shafts separated by hollows, a west window, heavy moulded beams, embattled wall plates, and circular bell openings. Louvred two-light openings are on each face of the top stage. The late 12th-century font is a plain octagonal basin, chamfered at the top and bottom, set on a thick circular stem encircled by eight plain circular shafts. A wall monument at the west end of the south aisle commemorates William Brand (1746/7) in white and black marble, featuring a swagged tablet with Ionic three-quarter columns supporting an entablature with a wreathed achievement above.