Church Of St Nicholas

Church of Saint Nicholas is a parish church dating mostly from the 14th century with a 12th-century core. The chancel was rebuilt in 1845 by George Gilbert Scott incorporating 12th-century work. The church was restored and a vestry and organ chamber added in 1879 by Somers Clarke. It is constructed of squared and coursed limestone with ashlar dressings. The roof is concealed behind parapets, except for the vestry which has a stone slate roof.

The church comprises a three-bay nave with south porch, south transept, two-bay apsidal chancel with north vestry and organ chamber, and a partly-integral west tower. The chancel was rebuilt in a neo-Norman style.

The tower has two stages externally, with a chamfered plinth, chamfered offset above the belfry and a string course to the parapet with chamfered coping. It features chamfered ogee-headed lancet openings to the belfry and a trefoil-headed rectangular first-floor west window.

The nave and transept have a chamfered plinth, coved parapet string course with carved gargoyles at the corners, and a parapet with chamfered coping. On the south side of the nave is a central square-headed window of two cinquefoil-headed lights with cusped flowing tracery, chamfered reveals and a hood mould with carved heads as stops. The continuously-moulded south doorway stands in the angle to the right, with a pair of 19th-century boarded doors and a hood mould with carved heads as stops. The gabled stone porch has a coved string course, parapet with chamfered coping, and continuously-moulded archway covered by a hood mould with carved heads as stops. Inside the porch are stone side benches and a roof with moulded wooden wall plates, a chamfered ridge piece with broach stops and chamfered rafters.

On the north side of the nave are two buttresses with chamfered offsets. The outer bays have square-headed windows: the left is 14th-century with two cinquefoil-headed lights with cusped tracery, chamfered reveals and returned hood mould, whilst the right is a 19th-century restoration with two ogee trefoil-headed lights, reticulated tracery, chamfered reveals and returned hood mould. The central doorway has a continuously-moulded arch, returned hood mould and an old boarded door with wrought-iron strap hinges. At the west end are trefoiled chamfered triangular windows placed high up, flanking the tower.

The transept has a large square-headed south window of three ogee cinquefoil-headed lights with reticulated tracery, moulded reveals and a hood mould with carved stops (the left-hand stop is weathered, the right-hand stop is a carved beast). The south doorway to the left has a continuously-moulded arch, hood mould with carved heads and stops, and a 19th-century boarded door. The square-headed east window has two ogee cinquefoil-headed lights with cusped tracery, chamfered reveals and a hood mould with carved stops (beasts). The east wall of the nave and chancel shows weathering marks from a former chancel roof pitch.

The chancel has a flush dressed stone eaves band and a chamfered stone eaves band with a corbel table, including many reused well-carved 12th-century corbels. It features three chamfered round-arched east windows with hood moulds and a chamfered trefoil-headed lancet with hood mould to the south.

The vestry has its gable end to the north, with a ground-floor rectangular window of three ogee cinquefoil-headed lights with moulded reveals and a square-headed window in the apex of one ogee cinquefoil-headed light with moulded reveals. There is a continuously-chamfered arched basement doorway with a boarded door.

Inside, the nave has a 19th-century five-bay roof with moulded wall plates, king-post trusses springing from moulded stone corbels (some reused medieval corbel heads), pairs of chamfered purlins, and chamfered rafters. The rear arches to the nave windows are chamfered; the north door has a plain segmental relieving arch. The north-east window has a flight of stone steps in the wall beneath, probably leading to a former rood loft. A piscina in the south-east has a chamfered trefoiled arch and circular bowl.

The continuous double-chamfered tower arch is covered by a hood mould with carved heads as stops. The tower window has a Caernarvon rear arch and a relieving arch in the wall above. A large wooden ladder provides access to the belfry.

The stilted wave-moulded transept arch springs from short wall shafts with moulded bases and capitals and ball-flower ornament. This moulding is carried round to the chancel arch and around the transept as a cill string, with a hood mould with carved heads as stops. The cill string projects as image brackets flanking the transept east window with weathered corbel heads, and is carried over the south door as a hood mould. The segmental rear arch dies into the responds. A double piscina in the south wall of the transept has ogee trefoil-headed arches, a central free-standing mullion, panelled spandrels and a square hood. The transept has a 19th-century two-bay roof with moulded cambered tie-beam, curved brackets springing from old carved stone corbels (possibly reset), chamfered purlins with broach stops and chamfered rafters.

The double wave-moulded chancel arch (the outer moulding continuous) springs from short wall shafts with moulded bases and capitals. The chamfered reveal beneath has ball-flower ornament (carried round from the transept to the right) and a returned hood mould. A piscina in the north respond of the arch has a chamfered trefoiled arch and scalloped bowl. A string course to the right of the chancel arch projects as an image bracket with a defaced corbel head beneath.

The chancel has a 19th-century two-bay roof with arched-braced collar, pairs of purlins and boarded soffit. An organ opening on the north wall of the chancel has a wooden lintel. The south chancel window has a chamfered rear arch. Double sedilia in the south wall of the chancel are formed from a former 14th-century two-light window (in the east wall until 1848) with cinquefoil-headed arched openings, panelled tracery, chamfered reveals and returned hood mould.

A reset 12th-century chancel arch to the apse consists of one order of shafts with cushion capitals and moulded bases, moulded imposts, chevron ornament to the arch and a chevron-ornamented hood mould. The apse has a boarded roof and splayed reveals to the east windows.

The fittings are mainly late 19th-century. The traceried-panelled oak altar has an inscription to the rear reading "SANCTUS SANCTUS SANCTUS". The oak reredos of 1901, by Harry Hems and Sons of Exeter, has traceried panels, a carved frieze and cresting, and two carved angels in niches. There are wrought-iron and brass altar rails. The oak choir stalls have pierced carved backs, carved poppyheads and trefoil-arcaded frontals. A painted wooden vestry screen has the organ to the centre.

The oak chancel screen, dated 1897 and also by Hems and Sons of Exeter, has pierced cinquefoil-headed lights, blind traceried lower panels, and a carved frieze and cresting. There is a brass lectern. The polygonal wooden pulpit has trefoil panels and a circular stone stem. The 14th-century polygonal stone font has two-light blind traceried panels, ball-flower ornament to the frieze and a 19th-century iron-bound wooden cover; there is a step. An oak screen to the tower arch has pierced traceried panels.

The vestry contains reused 12th-century carved grotesque corbel heads, a chamfered-arched corner fireplace with wooden cornice, and a chamfered rear arch to the north window. The transept was fitted out as a squire's pew in the 19th century with plain pews and a low screen with gate. There are 19th-century brass electric chandeliers in the chancel, nave and transept. Stone floors are used throughout, except for 19th-century tiles in the chancel and vestry.

The stained glass includes apse windows of 1879 by Clayton and Bell. More 19th-century glass is found in the transept, north window of the nave and west window of the tower. Fragments of probably medieval stained glass survive in the small west windows of the nave.

Monuments include a brass on the south wall of the nave to Walter Gooden (died 1513). An incised stone tablet in the nave floor commemorates Elizabeth Clement (died September 1699) with the inscription: "SHORT WAS HUR STAY/THE LONGER IS HUR REST/GOD OFTEN TAKS AWAY/WHOM HE LOVES BEST"; also Robert Clement (died 31 October 1731). Two 18th-century marble wall tablets in the south transept commemorate Barbara Gore (died 27 August 1770), with moulded cornice, scrolls flanking the inscription and husk garlands above and base, with shield and palm fronds; and Henry Browne, with panelled pilasters and an open triangular pediment with urn. A tablet to the left of the chancel arch commemorates Robert Buswell (died 31 March 1766), with flanking pilaster strips, cornice, curved triangular pediment, and bracket to the base. An old photograph in the vestry shows the church after restoration.

The church stands near to Kiddington Hall and forms part of a small country house group.