The St Nicholas Centre

The St Nicholas Centre

A church built in 1883 by C.J. Ferguson for Margaret Gibson in memory of her parents, later converted into a chapel and parish community centre in the mid-1970s following fire damage.

The building is constructed of snecked red Egremont sandstone beneath slate roofs. The plan is linear with a projecting porch and transepts, and includes surviving nave pier bases and chancel walls.

The west porch features diagonal buttresses and a moulded west doorway decorated with shafts and carved orders. The transepts have diagonal buttresses and two-light pointed-arch west windows with geometrical tracery, together with three-light pointed-arch north and south windows also with geometrical tracery. Both the porch and south transept gables are topped with a small cross.

The tower is three storeys high with string courses between each stage. The second stage has two-light pointed-arch west and east windows, a clock face set within a circular moulding on the west face, and two small centrally positioned plain rectangular north and south windows. The top stage contains large pairs of belfry windows with transoms, separated by thin buttresses on each face, and is finished with a crenellated parapet above a string course. A projecting south-western stair turret runs from ground floor to the tower's second stage. The tower's external doors date from the 1880s.

Inside the tower stands the inner porch doorway of the original 1693 church, featuring Doric pilasters, a pediment dated 1893 in Roman numerals, and glass and timber two-leaf round-arch doors. The 1880s roofs survive throughout: the transepts have canted wagon roofs, and the crossing has a flat timber ceiling divided into panels by moulded ribs with flat bosses at intersections. The south transept functions as the chapel and contains an original high-quality Hardman window alongside windows rescued from the 1971 fire, displayed in panels. The north transept serves as a café with services. The crossing functions as a café with offices above on a modern inserted wooden floor. The tower's second stage holds a boiler and timber steps leading to a platform containing a clock mechanism stamped "Smith and Sons, Clerkenwell Steam Clock Factory". Above in the belfry are the bell and its timber supporting frame.

The original St Nicholas' Church was built in 1693. In 1701 Mildred Warner Gale, grandmother of American President George Washington, was buried in the churchyard. Her daughter, also named Mildred, was baptised in the church and buried in the churchyard upon her death. The church was rebuilt in 1883 at Margaret Gibson's expense and consecrated on 31st August by the Rt. Rev. Harvey Goodwin, Bishop of Carlisle. The new church comprised a nave, chancel, side chapel, clerestory and west tower—the original 1693 west doorway was preserved within the new tower. It had seating for 600 with capacity for up to 1000.

On 31st August 1971, fire destroyed much of the nave and sanctuary. Rather than rebuild, the tower was fitted out as an auxiliary chapel for services and hosted regular coffee mornings. In the mid-1970s the Parochial Church Council approved a plan to expand the tower's use by providing additional community facilities. The tower was converted into a Centre for Worship, Social Activity and Tourism, dedicated on opening by the Bishop of Carlisle. Tourist facilities were eventually relocated elsewhere, but the tower continues to provide a place of worship, social activity and parish offices, together with light refreshment facilities. Current usage divides the space into a chapel in the south transept, a café with offices above in the crossing, and service rooms with a café above in the north transept. Access to the clock tower is gained via a spiral stair from the porch.