Church Of St Nicholas

Church of St Nicholas

This parish church was largely constructed in the later 12th, 13th and 14th centuries, and underwent restoration in 1864–65 by R. Wheeler. The building comprises a nave with a central south porch, a chancel that is continuous with the nave, a short north chancel chapel continuous with a north nave chapel, and a tower at the south-east end of the nave. The exterior walls of the tower and the north and south walls of the nave are built of mixed uncoursed stone rubble and tufa, while the chancel and north nave chapel employ roughly coursed stone and coursed stone rubble respectively. Plain tile roofs cover the building, with wood shingles on the spire.

The Tower

The tower dates to the later 12th century and features a later 16th-century or later belfry. It has no plinth or stages, and is decorated with pilaster buttresses of tufa stone. Below the belfry runs a cavetto-moulded string course with stone gargoyles. The belfry itself is a short timber-framed, weatherboarded structure capped by a splay-footed octagonal spire with a weathervane. Louvred wooden belfry windows contain paired round-headed lights. The tower faces each display a narrow rectangular lancet with tufa dressings and traces of a pointed relieving arch toward the centre, while a narrower pointed lancet with tufa dressings appears toward the base to the south, possibly of later date. A low blocked round-headed east doorway features up-ended stone voussoirs and plain imposts, one of tufa. A slightly projecting rectangular stair turret on the north end of the east face dates to the 13th or 14th century, with a chamfered stone plinth, stone lean-to roof and small hollow-chamfered rectangular windows.

The Nave

The nave dates to the later 12th or early 13th century. Its west gable end was rebuilt in the 19th century. There is no plinth, but tufa string courses run along the north and south elevations, with the northern course being proud. The west window is a 19th-century 4-light window in 13th-century style with a hoodmould. A 2-light 19th-century south window sits to the west of the porch. Between the porch and tower stands a 2-light later 14th-century south window that breaks through the string course, with rectangular form, ogee cinquefoil-headed lights and a squared hoodmould.

The South Porch

The south porch is 19th-century in date, built of stone rubble with a snecked stone gable and crocketed bargeboards. It contains no windows. The outer doorway features a chamfered pointed arch with a hoodmould, while the inner doorway is 14th-century, with a pointed arch, continuous ovolo moulding, broach stops, and a roll-and-fillet hoodmould.

The Chancel

The chancel dates to the later 12th or 13th century and was restored in the 19th century. It has a lower roof and eaves than the nave and no plinth. 19th-century clasping buttresses and two south buttresses have been added. Three 19th-century south windows and a 3-light 19th-century east window in 13th-century style light the interior. A 19th-century north lancet and a blocked 13th-century pointed lancet under the eaves (surrounded by 12th or 13th-century uncoursed stone rubble) complete the fenestration.

The North Chancel Chapel

Dating to the 14th century or later, the north chancel chapel has a chamfered stone plinth, two north buttresses, and a gable. A 2-light east window and a similar north window both feature ogee-headed cinquefoiled lights with squared hoodmoulds.

The North Nave Chapel

The north nave chapel is 14th-century and was restored in the 19th century. It has no plinth but features a north buttress. A 2-light quatrefoiled north window is present; there is no west window.

North Elevation of the Nave

A 13th-century window of two trefoil-headed lights without an overall architrave appears above the string course, between the chapel and the north doorway. A moulded pointed-arched later 14th-century north doorway features attached shafts with bell capitals and bases, a hoodmould with carved heads to the label stops, and is enclosed by a rectangular cavetto-moulded outer architrave. Encircled quatrefoils decorate the spandrels above the doorway, and blind tracery above consists of four trefoil-headed ogee panels. The door itself is boarded and medieval.

Interior Structure

The interior displays broad 14th-century doubly-chamfered pointed arches with semi-octagonal columns, moulded capitals and bases between the nave and nave chapel, and between the chancel and nave. A similar arch with plain chamfering and semi-octagonal columns with chamfered capitals and bases connects the chancel to the chancel chapel. A doubly plain-chamfered arch dying into the walls separates the two chapels. A pointed, nearly 4-centred-arched doorway to the tower has continuous roll-and-cavetto moulding.

The nave is roofed with a crown-post roof of three tall, moulded crown-posts set on relatively slender moulded unbraced tie-beams, with ashlar-pieces and soffit-morticed sous-laces. The chancel has a boarded 19th-century roof, while the north chancel chapel features a lean-to ceiling of broad chamfered rafters. The nave chapel is plastered.

Fittings and Monuments

An octagonal early 14th-century font bowl features tooled verges and a chamfered base carved with a frowning face, two calves heads and a leaf. An ogee-headed stoup stands to the east of the south door of the nave, and a shallow recess at the east end of the south wall of the nave has an inserted trefoiled ogee head.

The chancel walls contain several monuments of significance. On the south wall is a monument to Levinus Buffkin of Gore Court (died 1622), attributed to Maximilian Colt. It is executed in alabaster and touch, with busts of a man and woman in roundels, achievements between them, and black inscription panels, all flanked by free-standing consoled Corinthian columns supporting a corniced architrave with rose flowers to the soffits and a scrolled and shaped top-plate with achievements. A shaped base plate completes the work.

A monument to Thomas Fludd of Gore Court (died 1688) is a rectangular stone panel with a beaded edge and a narrow rounded panel above bearing achievements. A brass to Thomas Hendley (died 1590) comprises two plates, the smaller with an inscription and the larger with kneeling adults and children.

On the north wall of the chancel stands a monument to John Hendley (died 1676), erected by his wife in 1678. It is of black and white marble on a consoled plinth, with a rectangular inscription panel, stepped head, bolection-moulded acanthus-leaf border, flanking Corinthian columns, moulded cornice, scrolled pediment and achievements.

A monument to William and Dorothea Henley of Gore Court (died 1762 and 1785, erected after 1785) is of white marble, with a rectangular panel, shallow consoles, moulded egg-and-dart cornice and an obelisk back plate bearing an urn, pedestal and achievements.

On the wall of the north chancel chapel stands a monument to Bowyer Hendley (died 1742), rectangular in form with a proud inscription panel, moulded plinth and shaped base plate with a cherub's head, moulded cornice and achievement.

Also in the north chancel chapel is a monument to Elizabeth Hendley (died 1697, erected 1721), comprising a draped cartouche with a skull to the base and cherub's heads, surmounted by achievements.