Church of St Nicholas

Church of St Nicholas

Parish church founded in 1101 in association with a Benedictine Priory by Bishop Herbert de Losinga and completed in 1119. The base of the tower is early 12th century; the remainder was rebuilt in stages throughout the 13th century. The building fell into derelict state during the 17th and 18th centuries. The north nave aisle was removed in 1705 and replaced in 1847 by JH Hakewill. The east end was rebuilt in 1813 by PH Wyatt, then again rebuilt and lengthened in 1862 by JP Seddon. Further restorations occurred in 1847, 1862 and 1889, the last by JL Pearson. The building was fire-bombed in 1942 and gutted completely, leaving only the external walls, most of which were by then 19th century in origin. It was rebuilt between 1957 and 1960 by Stephen Dykes Bower. The walls are constructed from quaternary and quarry flint, mostly knapped, with chert and Lincolnshire Limestone ashlar dressings, and copper roof cladding.

The plan is cruciform, comprising a nave with nave aisles, transepts with central tower, chancel and chancel aisles.

The west front presents three gables, with the central one lit through three early 13th-century lancets over an arched and moulded doorway. A wide south aisle added around 1250 shows three stepped lancets, each with two Y-tracery lights and cusping of 19th-century design, with punched trefoils in the spandrels. The north aisle, of 1847 origin, is equally wide and lit through stepped lancets with Y-tracery. Four polygonal turrets carry 19th-century pinnacles. Eight nave aisle bays have windows to the south side of three lights each in Geometric Decorated design. A gabled south porch features an arched and moulded doorway, corner pinnacles and flushwork panelling. Inside the porch is a two-bay quadripartite rib-vault and an inner doorway with three orders of shafts carrying stiff-leaf capitals, plus two three-light flowing side windows. The porch was restored in 1991. The north nave aisle has seven three-light Perpendicular windows of 20th-century origin and a reused 13th-century doorway with multiple roll mouldings and a string course carried over it. In the angle with the north transept is an altar tomb of 1851 protected by iron railings. Seven-light transept windows display Decorated tracery with angle pinnacles. The chancel has three-light cusped north and south windows and a five-light east window by JP Seddon. Positioned in the angles between the chancel and transepts are various low 19th and 20th-century vestries. The tower has an arcade of 12th-century arches, followed by a string course below round-arched windows lighting the ringing chamber. The belfry is almost entirely of 1862 origin by Seddon, featuring three tall lancets to each face, a punched parapet and corner pinnacles.

The interior comprises a four-bay nave arcade entirely of 1957 in design and execution, with rectangular piers with engaged shafts and fan capitals. The nave and aisle roofs are boarded. The west end has an internal wall passage. Wide arches connect the aisles into the transepts, with four transept arches re-cased in the 19th century. The chancel has five aisles since 1960, with the outer two aisles separated by a four-bay octagonal arcade of 1960. The central chancel roof is pitched and boarded, while the aisle roofs are flat and boarded. A chancel pulpitum displays two arched 13th-century doors decorated with quatrefoils in the jambs and arch and with encircled quatrefoils in the spandrels. A Norman octagonal font with a 12-sided bowl decorated with waterleaf ornament came from Highway, Wiltshire. Simple nave pews from St George's, Yarmouth dated 1714 remain in situ, as does a panelled pulpit also from St George's.