Church Of St Nicholas

The Church of St Nicholas is a parish church largely dating from the early 14th century, with a chancel and nave, a south aisle and porch from the mid 14th century, and a western tower built around 1470-1500. It is constructed of partly rendered flint with ashlar dressings, featuring plain tiled roofs and a slate porch. The chancel was restored in 1862.

The tower is in three stages and exhibits flushwork, a decorative technique using thin, flat tiles set into the render. On the south face are monograms visible within the flushwork: a crowned "T" (Trinity), a crowned "MR" (Maria Regina), and a crowned "A" (St Andrew, reflecting a previous dedication). The west face features an arched doorway below a two-light Perpendicular window. Diagonal buttresses also carry flushwork. The ringing chamber and belfry have two-light Y-shaped windows, and the top is finished with a crenellated parapet.

The south face displays ashlar inscription panels commemorating donors and saints, reading from the top: "MRA" (Maria Regina and Andrew), "PD RD" (unidentified), "W. A" (William Aleyn, donating in 1500), "JB" (John Barker, donating in 1486), "MB" (Marion Bussle), "RB" (Robert Bolle, donating in 1500), and a dedication "Pray for the souls of John Kailli." The south aisle has crenellations, diagonal buttresses, and four alternating windows: two-light reticulated windows and two-light windows with flower motifs. The large east window is of three lights with a flower motif. A lancet window is to the west of the chancel, alongside an arched priest’s door and a two-light flowing window dated 1862. The east window of the chancel is a restored three-light reticulated window. A slate lean-to north vestry of the 19th century includes a single restored two-light window.

The north side of the church has stepped brick buttresses supporting the nave wall, which is pierced by two two-light Perpendicular panel windows, one restored Y-shaped window, and an arched north door.

Internally, a four-bay arcade features bevelled, elongated piers with demi-shafts, polygonal capitals, and sunk quadrant arch mouldings. A tall tower arch is also present. The aisle, nave, and chancel have 19th-century roofs with scissor bracing. A fine 14th-century octagonal font, with a tapering bowl featuring lightly cut tracery motifs, a stem cut with rolls and flutes (some with wave mouldings), and an early 17th-century crown cover with a ball finial are important features. Painted Royal Arms of George III adorn the south aisle wall. A lead plate belonging to the church wardens, dated 1795, hangs on the south door. The north door and the chancel priest’s door are blocked. The chancel also contains bench sedilia and a trefoil piscina.