Church Of St Nicholas

ST04SW WITHYCOMBE CP WITHYCOMBE VILLAGE

8/113 Church of St Nicholas

22.5.69

GV I

Parish church. C13 chancel, C14 tower, nave refenestrated C15, church restored and reroofed 1912-13, vestry extended and west end gallery removed 1934-36. Roughcast over rubble, Ham stone dressings, slate roofs, coped verges. 3-bay nave, chancel north east vestry, entrance through south tower. Two-stage crenellated tower, lancet bell opening, moulded wooden Tudor arch head opening, inner door chamfered in 2 orders with hood mould, early C17 ribbed door, holy water stoop left with consecration cross incised above, wooden partition fronting internal tower steps; right 3-light cinquefoil headed hollow chamfer mullioned windows, 3-light window to chancel, blocked priest's door, semi-circular headed with chamfered surround, lancet right, 3-light east window, buttress, lancet on north front, east front of vestry lancet and door, C20 window north front, rood stair door blocked at junction with nave, two 3-light trefoil headed mullioned windows, western one lighting effigy tomb on interior wall, bulging out and heavily buttressed, 3-light west window, south wall flight of external steps leading to blocked doorway to demolished gallery, 2-light window. Interior: random rubble, chancel whitewashed. Depressed pointed chamfered chancel arch, tower arch. C20 wagon roofs, earlier wall plate in nave. Ogee headed priest's doorway blocked in chancel, blocked semi-circular headed doorway in nave south wall, blocked opening to rood stair. Fine 5-bay fanvaulted screen circa 1500 enriched cornice of 4 friezes, vineleaf decoration, panels of dado thought to be early C17. Old wall plate and C20 panelling at west end. C19 pulpit, pews and communion rails, Norman circular font, ribbed with cable moulding at base of bowl. Jambs of western windows in north wall of nave cut to accommodate female effigy circa 1300 flanked by what may be candlesticks, crenellated with stepped buttresses and carved with faces amidst foliage, probably not originally designed for present location and very unusual. Niche low down on north wall contains male effigy of young layman. An interesting church that escaped C19 restoration. (Photograph in NMR),

Listing NGR: ST0152841302