Church Of St Nicholas

ST 66 NE KELSTON CHURCH ROAD (east side)

3/88 CHURCH OF ST NICHOLAS

1.2.56 II

G.V.

Anglican parish church. C13 and C14; heavily restored and rebuilt 1860 by B. Ferrey. West tower, nave, north porch, south aisle, chancel and vestry. Rubble with freestone dressings; snecked and squared rubble to nave and chancel; slate roofs with coped raised verges. West tower is probably C13 with a saddleback roof behind a plain parapet; 2 stages with diagonal buttresses; moulded stringcourse with gargoyles; on the ground floor is a 2-light cusped lancet window with a cusped hexagonal light above; single and 2-light windows to bell stage. North porch is gabled with angle buttresses; double hollow chamfered outer doorway (restored) under a hoodmould with square stops. Nave: 3-light C19 Perpendicular style windows. Chancel: C19 windows, lancets to the sides and 3-light Geometrical style east window. South aisle has three 2-light windows with cusped heads. The north door is studded with strap hinges in a chamfered and depressed ogee-headed surround. Interior: 1860's 3 bay south arcade in an early Gothic style; C13 tower arch is double chamfered. Font, probably C18, ashlar, octagonal bowl with a band of quatrefoils, gadrooned base. The pulpit, roof and other fittings are all 1860's and later. Glass: north- east nave window has C14 borderwork and other fragments, foreign, with an oval medallion, an angel on a blue background and the upper part of St. John the Evangelist; south-west chancel window has a C14 French figure of St. Barbara holding a tower; north-west chancel window has a C15 Low Countries' panel of St. Anthony holding a staff and with a pig; tower, John the Baptist baptising Christ with a tower in the background. Monuments. In the chancel is a substantial fragment of a Saxon cross with interlace on two sides. Tower: inscribed oval plaque to Marie Smith, 1678, in elaborate surround with drapery; Griffin Smith, 1681, square plaque and further oval plaque of 1693. South aisle: Sir Caesar Hawkins, died 1800, inscribed marble plaque with urn finial; other inscribed square plaques of late C18 - early C19 to Hawkins and Inigo-Jones families. Nave: Hudleston hatchment; Royal Arms, 1860; various Hudleston monuments, mostly square inscribed plaques, particularly John died 1749, Lawson died 1743, Charlotte died 1821 and William died 1766 with a triglyph frieze; Lady Diones Harington, died 1674, and John Harington died 1674, both baroque plaques with arms. (N. Pevsner, The Buildings of England : North Somerset and Bristol, 1958. C. Woodforde, The Stained Glass of Somerset, 1946).

Listing NGR: ST6990266909