Church Of St Nicholas

ST 8312 9/5

CHILD OKEFORD THE CROSS Church of St Nicholas

4-10-60

GV II* Parish church, late 15 or early C16 west tower. Remainder of fabric 1850 and 1878-79. Chancel refitted 1911. 1878-9 work by T.H Wyatt. Chancel refit by Wippell and Co. Tower in greensand ashlar. Remainder of church in flint with stone and ashlar dressings. Tiled roofs with stone copings.

Plan: nave, chancel, west tower, north and south aisles, south chapel and north chapel/organ chamber/vestry. Tower: two stages with plinth and embattled parapet; south vice turret; diagonal four-stage buttresses; corner gargoyles to parapet string; moulded four-centred west doorway in square surround with cusped spandrels and returned label; pointed five-light Perpendicular west window with returned label; two-light, square headed belfrey windows with Perpendicular tracery and wooden louvres; five-light, Perpendicular, pointed south aisle, west window.

South aisle, south windows of two lights with square heads, perpendicular tracery and returned labels. South aisle, east window of three lights with pointed head and returned label. Chancel south wall has two pointed two-light windows with curvilinear tracery and returned labels. East chancel window of five-lights with Perpendicular tracery and returned Libel. North chapel/organ chamber/vestry windows are of one and two lights with Perpendicular tracery and square heads with returned labels. The east wall window is of two lights with a pointed head and Perpendicular tracery. It may be C15 reset. The north aisle, north wall windows are of two and three lights with curvilinear tracery under square heads with returned labels. The west wall window is pointed with three lights and Perpendicular tracery. The south porch is gabled with a pointed, moulded doorway and C19 sculptured figures in the apex.

Three bay pointed nave arcades on octagonal piers with moulded caps. Moulded, pointed chancel arch with marble attached respond shafts. Heavily moulded, pointed chancel arcades with clustered marble shafts. Pointed tower arch of two chamfered orders dying into responds. Nave and north aisle roofs have hammer-beams, arch-braced collars with king-posts and wind-braced purlins. The south aisle has a similar roof but with struts in place of a king-post and no wind-bracing. Chancel and south chapel have ribbed plastered roofs. Chancel is faced in marble. Marble pulpit with open, ogee-headed panels.C19 piscina. C13 circular font with roll-moulded base on cylindrical stem and moulded pedestal.

(RCHM, Dorset, vol III, p 79/80, no. 1).

Listing NGR: ST8355312750