Church Of St Nicholas

HEYTHROP SP32NE 5/79 Church of St. Nicholas

GV II

Church. 1880 by A.W. Blomfield for Albert Brassey, probably incorporating some early-C19 work. Coursed squared rock-faced limestone with ashlar dressings; plain-tile roofs. Chancel, north vestry, south organ chamber, nave, south aisle and south-west tower/porch. Decorated-Gothic style. Chancel, with high moulded plinth and stepped angle buttresses, has a 3-light traceried east window carried down to 3 ornamented panels, and has 2-light side windows. Southern projection has 2 traceried lancets to east and, to south, a pair of lancets under a traceried spherical triangle; northern projection has a 3-light square-headed window below a rose window, and has an angle turret. Low lean-to south aisle has 3 groups of cusped lancets set in triple arcades; north side of nave has tall traceried windows of one and 2 lights, and to west is 4-light traceried window. 4-stage tower, with plinth, diagonal buttresses, and a tall pierced parapet with panelled and crocketed angle pinnacles, has a richly-moulded C13-style south doorway below a shallow gable, 2-light traceried windows at the second stage, pairs of small lancets at the third stage, and large 3-light traceried openings to the bell chamber. Interior: chancel has traceried blind arcading flanking the east window, and the windows all have moulded rere-arches, hoods and jamb shafts; a mosaic reredos depicts the Last Supper. Richly-moulded arches open north and south, the latter springing from head corbels. Similar chancel arch springs from tapering corbels supporting clustered shafts. 3-bay arcade of 2 chamfered orders has quatrefoil columns with moulded capitals, and has double-shafted responds on foliage corbels. Similar corbels support detached shafts from which rise the wall posts of the elaborate arch-braced collar-truss nave roof, and also bear angels holding shields. Chancel roof has heavy cusping to the trusses. Octagonal porch has a fine ribbed stone vault, springing from full-height shafts, with foliage bosses and capitals. Some of the lower stonework is said to have come from the former Roman Catholic church near Heythrop Park erected 1826 for the Earls of Shrewsbury. (Buildings of England: Oxfordshire: p646; VCH: Oxfordshire: Vol XI, p142)

Listing NGR: SP3513827730