Church Of St Nicholas

ST62NW 4/73

NORTH BARROW CP NORTH BARROW VILLAGE

Church of St Nicholas

24.3.61

GV II

Anglican parish church. C14 origins, major restoration by H Perry of Blandford in 1860, Local grey lias stone cut and squared, Doulting stone dressings; plain clay tiles with bands of scallop tiles between coped gables with finials. Two cell plan of 2-bay chancel and 3-bay nave, with south porch and west tower. Chancel has plinth, angled corner buttresses; C14 style tracery to 3-light east window, with arched head-stops; on south side west bay a pointed, chamfered arched doorway without label. Nave has plinth, bay buttresses; 2-light windows matching chancel east window, having arched head stop labels on south and foliage stop on north. South porch has coped south gable with finial; plinth, angled corner buttresses; finely moulded outer pointed archway with head-stop arched label; inside a moulded 4-centre arched doorway with C19 door. Tower of 3 stages, some C14 and Cl5 work: plinth, string courses, the uppermost with gargoyles, and battlemented parapet screening pitched clay tile roof to stair exit, being within tower proper, no separate turrets: moulded almost semi-circular arched west doorway with early door; above a 2-light C14 traceried window: stages 1 and 2 otherwise plain except for single cusped lancet without label to south face stage 2 to all faces stage 3 small 2-light C14/C15 traceried windows without labels, having pierced timber baffle boards - each window has chamfered timber central mullion, but stone tracery over. Interior mostly C19 in character, very simple. Chancel has braced king-post roof truss and exposed rafters, a C14 piscina, a C20 large-size quarry tiled floor, and a later C14 wide chancel arch. Nave has similar roof trusses but the rafters are concealed by boarding; narrow Cl4 tower arch to west, with, early bell- capitals to single side shafts. Fittings include C17 altar table, and fine hexigonal tulip-bowl font with ribs to angles, on single chamfered square plinth and base, possibly C13; otherwise fittings all C19 or C20. Memoria1s include 2 C18 Keinton slabs with incised lettering and decoration on south wall of nave. First recorded incumbent 1312. (Pevsner, Buildings of England, South and West Somerset, 1958).

Listing NGR: ST6079429384