Church Of St Nicholas

Church of St Nicholas

A church of coursed squared stone and ashlar with a Welsh slate roof, comprising a west tower, nave, south porch, north aisle with vestry, and chancel. The building dates from the early 13th century, with significant additions and modifications in the late 13th, 15th, and 19th centuries. Substantial restoration work was undertaken in 1860.

The west tower is Perpendicular in style and rises in three stages. Offset diagonal buttresses extend up to belfry level, while a buttress on the south side resembles a stair tower and rises to the belfry, with a segmental-arched doorway at its base and very small one-light chamfered openings above. Stone bands separate the stages, and the second stage is blank. The belfry openings have pointed-arched heads with hoodmoulds and cusped tracery of two lights. A projecting embattled parapet crowns the tower. The west-facing window has a pointed-arched head with hoodmould and comprises three lights with rectilinear tracery. A clock face is positioned below the belfry on the west façade.

The nave is of four bays with 15th-century walls that were refaced in 1860. On the south side stands a porch of around 1200, featuring an outer round-arched moulded doorway with a hoodmould that continues as an eaves band. The porch itself is steeply gabled with a stone roof and tunnel vault. The inner doorway is similarly detailed with a board door. To the left of the porch is a two-light flat-headed window with hoodmould and rectilinear tracery; to the right are two flat-headed two-light windows with cusped rectilinear tracery and hoodmoulds. A wide original stone offset buttress stands to the right. The porch has stone coping and a gable cross.

The north aisle is Perpendicular with four bays and a gabled east end. Offset angle buttresses are positioned between bays, with an offset diagonal buttress to the east. A vestry to the west displays a three-light pointed-arched cusped traceried window with hoodmould. To its east is a small outshut porch with a pointed-arched doorway. Three three-light windows with rectilinear tracery and segmental heads with hoodmoulds light the aisle. The east window comprises five lights with pointed arch, hoodmould, and cusped rectilinear tracery. Stone coping and gable crosses complete the detailing. The west window has three lights with pointed arch, hoodmould, and rectilinear tracery.

The chancel dates to the 13th century and comprises two bays. Its walls were refaced in 1860. Offset diagonal buttresses project to the east. Two windows on the south side have four-centred arched heads with hoodmoulds and comprise three cusped lights each. The east window has a pointed arch with hoodmould and three lights with intersecting tracery. Stone coping and a gable cross are present.

The interior contains a north arcade of four bays, dating to the late 13th century, with octagonal piers and capitals supporting double chamfered pointed arches with hoodmoulds. A similar arch connects the north aisle to the chancel. The chancel arch is 19th century in date. Behind the chancel arch, facing the north chapel, is a recess with a moulded shallow arch to the front. A cusped two-light opening extends through to the chancel, with similar single-light openings to the east. This recess possibly formed a small chantry chapel; a chantry was founded in 1335 to be read for Maude Marmion. The north aisle contains 15th-century stained glass depicting figures including a large female saint and a small crucifix. The roofs are 19th-century hammer beam construction.

The church contains several monuments of note. Effigies of the Marmion family include Sir William Marmion (1275), a lady of the late 14th century, and another lady on a tomb chest. A cross-legged knight and a later 14th-century lady are arranged as a couple beneath a tall canopy with openwork cusping and crocketed gable, possibly dating to the late 13th century. Alabaster effigies of Sir John Marmion (1387) and his wife rest on a plain stone plinth; angels flank the lady's head and a dog lies at her feet. These effigies are placed beneath an ironwork hearse of the same date. At each corner and on the apex of ogee arches are candle spikes with leaf motif wax holders, while the horizontal pieces of ironwork are castellated. Such ironwork over a tomb is probably unique in the country. A brass to Thomas Sutton, Rector circa 1492, is also present.