Church Of St Nicholas

Church of St Nicholas

This parish church in Leeds, on the lower street, is a substantial medieval building spanning from the 11th to 16th centuries, with significant restoration work undertaken in 1879. It is constructed of ragstone and tufa with a plain tile roof.

The church comprises a west tower, a nave with north and south aisles, a south porch, and a chancel with north and south chapels that do not extend to the full east end of the chancel.

The west tower dates to the early 12th century. It is a large, squat structure without a plinth, two stages high, and battlemented, with pilaster buttresses and tufa quoins and dressings. A short wooden spire was erected in 1963, though references to a spire exist from as early as 1492. The second stage has round-headed windows on the north and south sides, while the lower stage contains two west lancets. A pointed-arched and shifted 13th-century sandstone doorway on the west side is set within a round-arched tufa-dressed opening. The door itself is studded, with a moulded stoup to its north side.

The south aisle has walls possibly dating to the 12th century with tufa to the lower quoins, though the structure is largely 14th century with 19th-century alterations. It is plinthless with a roll-and-hollow moulded cornice and stone-coped ashlar parapet, beneath a lean-to roof. A buttress and canted south-east rood-stair loft stair turret are present. The south windows, largely 19th century in date, are designed in 14th-century style. The south porch dates to the 19th century but is built in 13th-century style, with a pointed arched inner door featuring a moulded architrave and hood mould, and a ribbed and studded medieval door.

The south chapel is 14th century with remains of a moulded plinth, stone quoins and tufa fragments in the walls, beneath a gabled roof. It contains a 15th-century three-light south window in a moulded stone architrave with a rectangular door (possibly 19th century) immediately below, and a 15th-century east window with a tufa relieving arch beneath.

The chancel was probably rebuilt in the 16th century. It stands on a shallow moulded plinth and features single-light round-headed north and south windows with rectangular dripmoulds, and a cuspless east window.

The north chapel dates to the late 15th century. It rests on a moulded plinth with a roll-and-hollow cornice and stone-coped ashlar parapet, beneath a gabled roof. It contains a 15th-century three-light east window and a three-light north window. A west buttress supports the structure, which projects slightly north of the north aisle.

The north aisle dates to the 12th century. It is plinthless with a cornice and parapet similar to the south aisle and north chapel, and has stone quoins. Three north buttresses are present. The aisle contains three north windows: two are two-light with quatrefoils and hoodmoulds, one with heads terminating at label stops. Two very small blocked north lancets with tufa dressings, rebated to the outside and deeply splayed to much larger three-centred arched inner architraves, are also present. A small blocked rectangular window with hollow-chamfered jambs and an iron grille stands at the west end of the north elevation. A small west lancet with tufa dressings, set higher, has a later stone inner architrave and leaded light.

Interior

The tower arch, partly restored, dates to the early 12th century, with three orders on each side featuring plain round-headed arches and fat rolls either side of the inner order. Cushion capitals support all but the outer order.

Three-bay arcades of 15th-century date run north and south in the nave, with hollow-chamfered octagonal piers bearing moulded capitals and bases (the latter somewhat irregular) and arches of two hollow chamfers with a cove between.

The 15th-century chancel arch and the west arches to the chancel chapels are each formed of two hollow chamfers, with the inner order springing from corbelled imposts. Single arches between the chancel and each chapel are similarly detailed with two hollow chamfers and attached columns—those to the north are round, those to the south semi-octagonal, all with moulded capitals and bases.

A two-centred arched doorway with hollow chamfer and broach stops leads to the rood-loft stair turret, with a cill approximately four feet above ground level. Two short blocked Saxon windows with elliptical heads are positioned high up in the north wall of the north arcade.

A 15th-century three-light squint between the north chapel and chancel features hollow-chamfered mullions, three-centred arched heads, and hollow spandrels. A plain squint exists between the south chapel and chancel behind the sedilia.

The nave roof comprises six plain, chamfered crown-posts with four curved upward braces and straight chamfered tie-beams, ashlar-pieces and a moulded cornice. Pendant posts are arch-braced to the cornice with 20th-century traceried spandrels. The south chapel roof has one octagonal crown-post with a moulded capital, square moulded base, and four squat upward braces. The chancel roof is barrel-vaulted with moulded members and a central boss.

Fittings

A three-seat sedilia in the south wall of the chancel features four slender off-set buttresses and a moulded cornice, cuspless and possibly 16th century in date. A pillar piscina stands to the south wall of the chancel, with a moulded opening (probably for a piscina) in the south wall of the north aisle. A cusped ogee-headed piscina is present in the south wall of the south chapel, and another by the south aisle door.

A plain octagonal stone font dates to the medieval period.

A 15th-century eleven-bay rood-screen extends across the east end of the nave and both aisles, featuring finely-cusped tracery. Slender attached columns between the bays, with moulded capitals, provide springing for an intricately carved 19th-century fan vault and corniced walkway. Three of the screen's bays have been split to form double doorways to the north and south chapels and chancel. Partly restored 15th-century parclose screens frame each chapel. The north chapel screen serves as the front for a 17th-century pew with lozenge panelling and a carved frieze.

A 17th-century staircase with turned balusters stands against the north wall of the tower, leading to the bell chamber. A brass chandelier in the nave is dated 1778.

Monuments

Two small early 16th-century brasses are located at the centre of the nave: one to William Merden, died 1509, and another to Katherine Lambe, died 1514.

A marble wall tablet on the south wall of the south chapel commemorates Sir Roger Meredith, Baronet, died 1738, erected after 1742. Designed by Palmer, it features ionic columns flanked by elongated scrolls, a moulded cornice, and an open-topped segmental pediment with an urn.

A large standing wall monument on the north wall of the north chapel honours Jane, Countess Dowager of Carbery, died 1643, erected after the death of her son Sir William Meredith, died 1675. Constructed in black and white marble, it displays elongated scrolls, ionic capitals, and bolection moulding to tablets. A large coat of arms with achievements breaks through the open-topped segmental pediment and is surmounted by an imposing vase.

A wall monument on the north wall of the north chapel commemorates Henry Meredith Esq., died 1710, erected at the direction of his daughter, died 1758. The marble tablet features two cherubs, an urn, and a broken-base triangular pediment, following a design from Gibbs' Book of Architecture, 1728, page 123.