Church Of St Nicolas

Church of St Nicolas, Portslade

This is a parish church with origins in the 12th century, substantially developed over the medieval period and significantly enlarged in the 19th century. The main structure comprises a 12th-century nave, south aisle and tower base, with an early 13th-century chancel and second stage of the tower. The bell stage was added in the late 14th century. A porch was constructed subsequently, followed by a 1849 north aisle, and in 1869 a north-west chapel for the Brackenbury family with an accompanying turret. A 17th-century singing gallery was removed in the late 19th century. The chancel floor was relaid in the 1930s, the roof was restored in 1959, and a vestry and organ gallery were added later.

The building is constructed of random rubble stone with stone dressings, though the Brackenbury Chapel features knapped flint and the tower uses coursed rubble. The roofs are Horsham stone slates on the nave and aisles as well as the pyramid roof of the tower, with clay tiles and coped verges on the chancel and porch.

The plan consists of a chancel set at an angle to a 3-bay nave with north and south aisles. Additional features include a Brackenbury chapel at the west end of the north aisle with an adjoining stairway to the west tower, a south porch, and large north-east vestry additions.

The 3-stage crenellated tower is unbuttressed and has lancet openings on its west face and a chamfered round arch head to the west door with 2 orders. All windows to the body of the church are single light, though the north aisle has irregular fenestration. The south porch is gabled with a pointed arch opening and square-headed ribbed door. The south aisle has a square-headed door. The east end of the south aisle displays headstones to the Blacker family, dating from 1817 to 1869, attached to the wall. The south face of the chancel has 3 lancets, and the east end features 2 tall lancets with a small round window above, replicated at the east end of the north aisle. The north aisle has 3 windows. The west end of the Brackenbury Chapel has crocketed buttresses and a 3-light window, with a doorway to the stairway featuring a lugged head and lit by tiny 2-light mullioned windows.

The interior is rendered. Remains of medieval wallpaintings depicting The Last Judgement were discovered in 1847 and subsequently painted over; they are illustrated in the first volume of the Sussex Archaeological Collections. The nave has a 3-bay king post roof with plastic sheeting masking the rafters and an unmoulded wallplate. The south aisle has a monopitch rafter roof and the north aisle a double pitch roof. The chancel has a 19th-century scissor truss roof. A pointed chancel arch with chamfering and a pointed tower arch are features of the interior, with scallop capitals to the pointed arch openings of the arcade. The chancel contains a sedillia and piscina.

The chancel and altar table are panelled and of late 19th to early 20th-century date, with a mid-20th-century altar table set in front of the sanctuary and late 20th-century altar rails. A stone pulpit with wrought iron handrail continues as chancel railings. Many headstones are laid as floor paving in the nave and aisles, including 3 of black marble dating from the 18th century. The chancel has parquet flooring.

Memorials include 3 marble tablets to the Clutton family, who served as incumbents for 3 successive generations in the 18th and 19th centuries. Remains of a brass to the Scrase family, dated 1499, removed from the Church of St Peter, West Blatchington when it was derelict, are also present. The former reredos, probably of the 17th century and comprising 4 incised stone panels, has been reset at the west end.

The Brackenbury Chapel is separated from the north aisle by a glazed partition, formerly a metal grill. It contains 3-bay blind arcades with foliate capitals and foliage decoration to the cornice, a stone ribbed tunnel vault roof, stained glass, and a chest tomb of black marble with a crucifix.