Church Of St Nicholas

The Church of St Nicholas is a parish church located in Dunkeswell. The church was largely rebuilt in the 1860s and 1860s, with the tower subsequently rebuilt in 1953. It is constructed from local stone and flint rubble with Bathstone detailing, and has a slate roof with crested ridge tiles. The church follows a cruciform plan in a single phase. The nave is flanked by narrow lean-to north and south aisles, and it is accompanied by north and south transepts. The chancel features a vestry to the south and a small chapel to the north. A late 19th-century south porch and the 1953 west tower complete the exterior. The overall architectural style is consistent Decorated Gothic.

The 1953 tower is a plainer version of the late 19th-century design and is relatively low, consisting of a single stage with an embattled parapet and low-angle buttresses. It features lancet belfry windows and a 2-centred arch west doorway with a 3-light Decorated window above. The north and south aisles each have three bays, featuring 2-light windows with steep gables. The central doorway on the south side, a 2-centred arch with a double chamfered surround, has a similar gable and a late 19th-century timber gabled porch with shaped bargeboards. The transepts have angle buttresses and 3-light windows with Decorated tracery at each end, while the chancel has a similar design.

Inside, the nave, transepts, and chancel feature open roofs supported by arch-braced trusses with king posts and curving queen struts. The lean-to roofs are present in the aisles. The trusses rest on corbels carved with motifs including sacred emblems, armorial bearings, and foliage. A tall tower arch with a moulded surround and capitals to the shafts is present, alongside 3-bay arcades on each side, characterised by cylindrical columns with moulded capitals. The transept and chancel arches are similarly styled, springing from moulded imposts. The walls are plastered, and the floor is laid with stone flags, with encaustic tiles in the chantry. A carved Beerstone reredos incorporating a blind arcade divided by half-engaged shafts with carved foliate capitals and cusped heads provides a focal point, with painted panels depicting commandments and prayers. An oak altar rail with twisted cast iron standards featuring foliate brackets complements the space. The stalls and pews are constructed from plain pine, and there is a plain oak lectern and a Gothic pulpit.

The sole feature predating the 1860s is the Norman font, which is crudely carved and notably unusual. It is a girdled font with a plait around its base, above which are two rows of scallop ornament and a series of panels depicting biblical and allegorical scenes, including a bishop with a crozier, depictions of men and women, a sailing boat, a fabulous monster resembling an elephant, an archer, a man with a sword, a king, and a man in chains. Plain memorials and 19th and 20th-century stained glass are also present.