Parish Church of Saint Nicholas

Parish Church of Saint Nicholas

This parish church is built of rubble stone with 13th-century and later dressings in red sandstone, 19th-century windows in yellow sandstone, and slate roofs. The building contains work from the 13th century onwards, with significant additions and restorations in the 19th century.

The west end of the nave has red sandstone quoins to the south-west and an added diagonal buttress to the north-west, with a large five-light late Gothic window dating from 1868. A 19th-century stone cross stands on the gable. The south side of the nave has a small earlier 13th-century chamfered lancet to the left of a large timber-framed porch of 1868, which shelters a remarkable red stone 13th-century pointed doorway with three keeled orders to the arch—the inner one continuous, the outer two on angle shafts. The porch contains 19th-century double doors, and a medieval carved head is set above. To the right, in the angle with the south transept, is a yellow sandstone 19th-century two-light window with a sexfoil in the head.

The south transept has red stone quoins and one large red stone later 13th-century lancet on each of its three sides. The west side has a trefoiled short window to the right; the south end has an earlier 13th-century lancet like those in the nave, set low to the right (perhaps reused when the transept was added); and the east side has a later 19th-century pointed red stone doorway in the angle to the right, the door fitted with elaborate iron hinges.

The south wall of the chancel has a rounded slight rood-stair projection in the angle with the south transept, a red stone narrow 19th-century lancet set in an infilled broad opening with timber lintel and quoins (possibly connected with an inserted rood stair of the earlier 16th century), and a large later 19th-century lancet to the right. The east end has red stone quoins and an exceptionally large late Gothic window of seven lights in two tiers. The original red stone frame survives, with the tracery restored in 1859. Two blocked loops at basement level may have led to a charnel house. The north wall is obscured by a mid-19th-century vestry with walls of large greenish stone blocks, a coped shouldered north gable, and a corniced chimney. The vestry's east wall has a low cambered-arched timber basement window below a flat-headed hoodmoulded upper window with two lancet lights. The north end has a basement door with applied Gothic moulding to the ledged door, and the west side has outside stone steps to a door to the right—a flush six-panel door with similar applied Gothic detail. A plain later 19th-century organ chamber stands to the right, with a parapet. A windowless short stretch of original wall to the right shows evidence of having been raised, as does the north transept east wall.

The north transept has large later 13th-century red stone lancets on the east and west (matching the south transept), with thin stone voussoirs. At the corners are large added buttresses with offsets; on the west wall, one partly covers a later 13th-century red stone blocked doorway with roll moulding.

The tower is attached to the north transept. It has four stages in coursed rubble with ashlar dressings including moulded string courses, windows and door, large three-stage diagonal buttresses, a coved cornice, embattled parapet, and corner crocketted finials. The north side has a tall pointed doorway with thin shafts, double ledged doors, and a pointed overlight with intersecting Gothick glazing bars. Each side of the second stage has a pointed louvred lancet; the third stage has two small lancets flanking a large diamond panel (a former clockface on the north, and a painted round clock dated 1816 on the west). The top stage has cusped Y-traceried two-light large bell openings.

The north side of the nave has a small earlier 13th-century lancet on each side of a blocked 13th-century large doorway with roll moulding, all in red stone.

The interior has whitewashed plastered walls with stone reveals. The nave has two fine roofs. The west roof, probably late 15th to early 16th century, has hammer-beams carrying arched-braced collar-trusses, and four tiers of quatrefoil windbraces between moulded timbers. The east roof, probably 16th century, is a panelled barrel ceiling with moulded ribs and carved bosses at the crossings. The chancel has a steep roof of 1863 with arch-braced collar trusses; the rafters were covered in 1969. The south transept has a 17th-century three-sided roof with plaster panels framed by moulded ribs with gold stars at the intersections. A moulded beam on the north wall is held on three wooden braces from corbels. The north transept has a plaster Georgian ceiling. There are segmental-pointed red stone heads to the reveals. The nave has a tall blocked north door. A two-bay later 13th-century pointed arcade with round column and half-round responds leads to the south transept, and a similar but heavier later 19th-century arcade leads to the north transept. The north transept has late Georgian detail, with the two north corners chamfered and a tall pointed door into the tower with intersecting tracery to the overlight. Both north and south transepts contain medieval pointed piscinas, and there is faint medieval wall painting on the south wall of the south transept. The chancel has a south pointed door to the rood loft stairs, covered by stalls, and the south lancet is covered by 18th-century royal arms. A late 19th-century tall segmental arch leads to the organ chamber on the north. Later 19th-century rich encaustic tiles and marble steps lead to the sanctuary, with less elaborate tiles in the chancel.

The church contains exceptional fittings, notably two late medieval screens set back to back. The 15th-century west screen was designed for the church and has 5-1-5 bays with delicate cinquefoiled tracery to the heads and an ogee head to the broad centre opening, with a carved shield-bearing figure on each side post. 17th-century panelling is affixed. Paired gates have lozenge-pattern 16th- to 17th-century panels, bobbin-turned rails, and ramped scrolls on top. The loft front above came from Chirbury Priory and has richly detailed 24 narrow panels, each with a cusped ogee lower arch with crocketted finial reaching up the centre to divide a pair of tiny pointed openings, each with their own cusped heads and crocketted finials. A cornice with rosettes above appears to be added.

The east screen also came from Chirbury and was much damaged after 1833 (as shown in a John Parker drawing). It has 5-1-5 bays, originally with tracery similar to the blind panels in the adjoining panelling on the chancel north wall, all now broken off. The centre breaks forward with two large octagonal posts, the tops truncated. The stalls from the same source have seven carved heads on the arm rests and eight carved misericords. The north wall has fine traceried blind panelling of five bays above four stalls with five carved heads and one misericord. Misericord carving includes an eagle, a priest, a duel, and a soul taken to Hell. Seven simpler stalls stand on the south wall, the east ones added, blocking the chancel south door. The space between the screens is crudely formed into two panelled 16th- to 17th-century pews. The south pew has running-scroll moulding with a panelled door.

The 13th-century bowl font has roll moulding below over a tapered base and is much retooled. It has an oak Gothic spired font cover of 1915. An oak octagonal Gothic pulpit with two carved saints to each face commemorates the Reverend Maurice Lloyd (died 1873) and is allegedly by George Edmund Street. A brass eagle lectern commemorates Colonel R. J. Harrison (died 1896). The exceptional reredos was dedicated in 1892 by Richard Herbert Carpenter in memory of Margaret, widow of David Lloyd (commemorated in the east window) and daughter of George Beadnell. It is designed with open tracery to frame the bottom lights of the east window in Caen stone with four alabaster figures by Thomas Earp, and flanked by canopied panels—five each side—with Venetian mosaic figures of Evangelists and Prophets to designs by Clayton & Bell. In the north transept are earlier 18th-century arch-headed painted benefaction boards in the corners and a large painted board over the north door commemorating the building of the tower in 1816. In the tower is a benefaction board with bolection moulded frame and a painted Commandment, Lord's Prayer, and Creed board on the west wall. A painted hatchment with Herbert arms, circa 1801, hangs in the south transept. Large royal arms of 1726, painted on board, are on the south chancel wall. The south transept altar is of Clipsham stone, 1958, by Herbert Carr, with a Book of Remembrance for war dead. The later 19th-century organ is in a plain Gothic case. Later 19th-century L-plan kneelers to the stalls have blind tracery and a row of small carved panels. Later 19th-century pews have traceried blind panels to the ends. Three ornate later 19th-century iron and brass hanging coronae hang in the nave.

The stained glass includes a fine large east window of 1861 by Thomas Baillie of London to David Lloyd (died 1859), brother of the Reverend Maurice Lloyd, showing the Crucifixion and Ascension with Evangelists and Saints Peter and Paul. The chancel south lancet has crude mid-19th-century painted glass of Munich type showing a large ascending figure, probably a portrait, to Marianne Lloyd (died 1850). The large west window of 1902, to Mercedes Fairles-Humphreys, was designed by Charles Hean and made by G. L. Maerchant of London. In late Gothic style, it shows the Nativity and Adoration with Saints Michael, Nicholas, Gabriel, and Tyssil. Two narrow nave lancets have patterned glass of circa 1870, and the south two-light window of 1920 commemorates W. Llewelyn Lloyd, showing Christ crowning a knight. The south transept east window showing the church and Presbyterian church, 2002, is by John Edwards. The north transept west lancet to Reverend John Lloyd (died 1891) and east lancet to Margaret Bryan (died 1921) are similar.

The monuments include two fine late medieval recumbent effigies of knights in the Lymore Chapel, restored circa 1814–1830. The south one, with helm, is probably of Sir Edmund Mortimer (died 1408); the other with flowing locks is said to be of Sir Richard Herbert (died 1534), though the figure appears to date from circa 1500. Above hang a tabard with Herbert arms and helm, probably 16th century—a rare survival. A magnificent canopied alabaster and painted stone monument of 1600 commemorates Richard Herbert (died 1596), probably by Walter Hancock of Much Wenlock. It shows effigies of Herbert and his wife, eight children in arcades behind, and a cadaver beneath. Herbert was father of the poet George Herbert and of Lord Herbert of Chirbury, who built the mansion in the castle.

Memorials include four matching early 19th-century plaques with grey surrounds ornamented in Greek key pattern and white marble plaques, cornices, and urns. In the chancel north are plaques to Margaret Pugh (died 1819) and her sister, daughters of William and Mary Lloyd (died 1769 and 1803), and sisters of Maurice Lloyd of Plas Trefaldwyn and Garthlwyd (died 1813), commemorated on the opposite plaque. On the nave west wall are plaques to Mary Lloyd Senior and Junior (died 1772 and 1775) and Maurice Lloyd (died 1830), and to Charles T. Jones of Fronfraith (died 1807). The nave south wall has a plaque to Lieutenant E. M. Buckley (killed 1915) by Gaffin and a sarcophagus plaque to Mary Weaver (died 1825) by J. Carline of Shrewsbury. The nave north wall has two marble plaques with banners by Gaffin of London to Lieutenant Gilbert Jones (died in India 1857) and Admiral Sir Charles T. Jones of Fronfraith (died 1853). In the blocked north door is an oval plaque to C. Gardiner Humphreys, attorney (died 1787). The south transept has a small oval plaque to the historian J. D. K. Lloyd (1900–1978) with a verse by him. The north transept has a plaque to M. E. Jones of Stalloe (died 1865) by G. Dodson of Shrewsbury, an oval plaque with urn on grey marble to William Davies (died 1803), a tapered neo-Grec plaque to Jane and William Nathaniel Davies (died 1833 and 1837) by B. Baker of Liverpool, and a plaque to Jane Powell of Rhydwhyman (died 1819) aged 103.

The church has six bells: five from 1724 and one from 1814 by C. W. Briant of Hertford.