Priory Church of Saint Nicholas

This priory church is built of rubble stone with traces of rendering, beneath close-eaved slate roofs and coped gables. The building comprises a long nave with south porch, a southeast tower, and a long chancel with a parallel north sacristy and northeast chapel. The 19th-century windows generally have hoodmoulds and carved stops.

The Nave and South Porch

The nave's west wall has a battered base and stands proud of the ends of the nave side walls, suggesting it has been altered. The large four-light pointed west window dates from 1879 and has cinquefoil decoration in the head. The south side of the nave has three two-light windows from 1879, with quatrefoils in their heads, along with stone voussoirs from earlier windows. One window sits to the left of the south porch, and two to the right, divided by a buttress with plinth, two mouldings and two set-offs.

The large south porch retains traces of render, particularly on the west wall, and has a coped south gable and large arched entry. The entry has thin ashlar angle shafts (possibly from 1880) and an unmoulded round arch. Inside is a medieval pointed vault, stone benches, and a fine 13th-century south doorway of two orders of two roll-moulds. The inner mould has been restored to a different curve, leaving a crescent-shaped fillet between the two. The hoodmould has been renewed. The 19th-century door has iron Gothic hinges. Above and to the left is a narrow door that formerly led to an upper floor, set in an ashlar arched surround.

The north side of the nave is windowless with heavy buttressing. There are three very large buttresses with high sloping bases and slated sloping tops, a narrower and rougher raking buttress at the left, and a lower and narrower stepped buttress at the right. Two corbels sit between the right and second buttress. The next two bays each have a small 12th-century arched opening that penetrates the outer skin only. Between the fourth and east buttress is a rough stone lancet with a corbel below, and a blocked pointed door in a rough square opening. The blocking uses remnants of a 17th-century ashlar tomb. On both sides of the east buttress runs a piece of broken vault parallel to the nave.

The Tower

The tower is tall with battered sides, a corbelled embattled parapet, and a projecting southwest stair tower with a higher embattled top. The stair turret has five loops on both the south and west sides. The tower has narrow single bell-lights with cambered heads on the west and south sides, with that on the south behind a 1907 clock. There is a renewed grey stone lancet on the east side, a louvred lancet to the south at one-third height with an eroded plaque below. A large sandstone four-light pointed window from 1880 sits over a pointed door in a moulded ashlar square frame with tracery in the spandrels. The door has a moulded doorcase and board door with hinges matching those on the nave south door. The east side has two similar louvred lancets.

The Chancel

The chancel has slightly lower eaves but a similar ridge to the nave. It has four long two-light south windows from 1887-9 with cinquefoils and original stone voussoirs. The east end has angle buttresses, a cross finial, and a large sandstone five-light window from 1889 or 1904. Above this is a fine 14th-century ogee pointed niche with rosettes in a hollow-moulded surround and an eroded statue.

The northeast chapel is separated from the chancel by a narrow passage and has a lower roof with cross finials. It has a big three-light east window with quatrefoils and a roundel in the head. The north side has two two-light windows with hoodmoulds and head stops, then a corbelled square 19th-century chimney with a tall shaft of grey stone. To the right is a section of broken masonry linking to the site of the former priory buildings. The west end has a low lean-to north porch to the left with a pointed north door and small two-light on the west, and the sacristy to the right. The sacristy has a roof of similar height with a cross finial to the west, a 19th-century two-light to the north side and west end, which also has a blocked vent above, both left of the centre line.

Interior of the Nave

The nave has a medieval plastered pointed vault and 19th-century tiled floors. The 1879 windows have sandstone reveals. A recess in the west wall contains a small 18th-century octagonal font with raised rim and sides curving inward. To the right of the south door is a pointed chamfered narrow door to a mural stair that formerly led to the porch chamber. The south doorway is ashlar with a broad cambered head and keeled moulding, and is partly medieval. There is a cambered-headed niche to the left and an ashlar narrow inserted north lancet. The demolished north transept is marked by a broad pointed recess with stone voussoirs. The south transept has similar voussoirs and a plastered stone vault with a roundel for raising bells, a half-arch in the east wall under the arch from the nave, and a pointed stair-door in the southwest corner. The tower is said to be vaulted at first floor level but not at the clock stage, and vaulted at the top. It contains eight bells from 1897 by Carr of Smethwick. The clock dates from 1907 and was made by W. Potts of Leeds.

Interior of the Chancel and Chapel

The chancel arch dates from 1887 and is of Bath stone with triple keeled shafts, shaft rings, leaf capitals and a double-chamfer arch. There is a black marble step. The tiled chancel floor has some encaustic tiles. The 1887-9 eight-bay chancel roof has plaster panels only in the eighth bay. The north side has a plastered pointed arch to the organ and a cambered-headed door to the right leading to the sacristy/organ chamber. There is a pointed arched door to the passage to the northeast chapel, with a recess in the wall above.

A step with altar rails marks the beginning of richer tiled floors, where the encaustic tile panels increase in size and ornament towards the east with two further steps, another step in the sanctuary, and one to the altar. On the north side is a segmental-pointed tomb recess. Just to the left is a 19th-century Bath stone corbel or wall-stand, with another similar one opposite. Then comes a fine tomb from around 1500 (described below under memorials). The east wall has a sill-course under the east window, continued on the south wall. The south side has a 19th-century Bath stone piscina and a big 19th-century triple sedilia with cusped pointed arches, hoodmoulds, marble keeled shafts and embroidered velvet back hangings. The sill course is stepped over this. Then there is a segmental-pointed tomb recess, restored, similar to the one opposite.

The sacristy has a 19th-century roof of two bays with arch-braced collar trusses. There are two arches on the south side, one blank to the left, one filled by the organ. The east wall has a low window into the northeast chapel and a double cambered headed recess above, with one side blank and the other glazed. There is a vault in the northeast corner and a remnant of another under the former stairs at the northwest. The west wall has been stripped of plaster and has a niche in the gable to the right.

The passage through to the northeast chapel has the underside of steps above. The chapel has a roof from 1895 with high collars and a brattished wall plate. The north side has a fireplace with stone voussoirs. The west wall has corbels from a former gallery, a cambered window to the left looking into the sacristy with stone voussoirs, and another similar one higher up. There is a blocked north cambered-headed opening. The south wall has a piscina. The 19th-century east window surround has shafting. A red marble step leads to the sanctuary, which has encaustic tiles and another marble step to the altar.

Fittings

The ashlar drum font dates from 1882 and has chamfered bands of leaf carving to top and bottom, sitting on six columns with linked leaf capitals. The base with the column bases is 13th century. The timber pulpit of 1882 sits on a squat column with curved ribs under a three-sided panel front, with a flight of seven wooden steps up with twisted brass uprights to the rail with scrolls. Similar steps and brass rail on the opposite side of the chancel arch lead to a platform behind the brass eagle lectern of 1899, which stands on a white marble round base.

The nave pews have pegged joints and boarded panelled backs and date from 1882. There are six light standards on twisted brass posts, each with lamps on leaf-scrolled arms. The chancel stalls have shaped bench ends with leaf-scroll decoration and open-fronted kneelers with pierced quatrefoils. The rear stalls have tall canopied backs from 1909-11 with blind tracery to large panels (nine stalls to the north, eleven to the south), a coved ribbed underside to the canopy with pendants and finials between delicately-carved ogee heads, and pierced top cresting. The altar rails have brass leaf-scrolled standards. There are two large brass hanging coronae in the chancel from 1887 and 1894. The oak altar is open-fronted with traceried panels. The organ is by Wade & Meggitt of Tenby, 1887. The northeast chapel has pews from 1912 and brass altar rails.

Memorials

On the north side of the nave are: a marble plaque to Abraham Leach of Corston, died 1843; a marble shield plaque with urn to Catherine Humphreys, died 1790; a neo-Grec plaque with urn to Lady Charlotte Owen of Orielton, died 1829; and a fine marble memorial by John Bacon Junior (1777-1859) to Sir Hugh Owen of Orielton, died 1809, and his father Sir Hugh, died 1786, with a mourning female figure against twin broken columns with draped urns.

On the south side of the nave are: a slate plaque with winged cherub to Benjamin Davis, died 1776; and a brass Great War memorial.

Under the arch of the north transept is a fine ashlar 17th-century memorial to John Owen died 1612, comprising a tomb chest against a high back with paired Ionic outer columns, each pair sharing a capital. There is a plaque with Jacobean border and two shields above. The inscription records that he was the son of Sir Hugh Owen of Bodeon, Anglesey, and Elizabeth Wyrriott of Orielton, and that the monument was erected by Dorothy daughter of Rowland Laugharne of St Brides, buried 1653, an addition made in 1657. The entablature has ornament, a pediment, coat of arms, bearded supporters, scrolls, and outer squat obelisks. The chest has pilasters and plaques with knotwork. Also here is a slate plaque to Sir Hugh Owen died 1670 with Bath stone frame with leaf-scrolled pilasters, arched head with skulls and bones, moulded head with crude seated cherubs, and detached carved arms with bearded male supporters. Below is an oval plaque in scrolled surround with leaf sprays and winged cherub head below. Above is a damaged 17th-century arched plaque between columns with entablature and crude half scroll-pediments flanking a coat of arms.

In the south transept is a big chest tomb in Bath stone with black marble top to Sir Francis Meyricke, died 1603, with eight kneeling children and fine carved arms at each end. The damaged top has alabaster cresting with delicate low-relief ornament framing a plaque, and Renaissance detail to the pilasters. The coat of arms above is detached.

On the north side of the chancel, in the north tomb recess is a headless late medieval effigy (found in the south porch), possibly of a priest. Another effigy is in the south tomb recess. Reset on the north wall is a fine Gothic tomb from around 1500 in eroded Purbeck stone. The tomb chest has three traceried panels with shields and panelled piers. The flat top has an indent for a lost brass cross, partly covered by the back. The broad rectangular back panel has indents for lost brasses (plaque, figures, scrolls, shields at upper corners), and a soffit of five quatrefoils with rosettes, curved at each end. The outer columns have twisted shafts and octagonal caps. The Tudor arched head has thin spandrels and a centre boss (now with a metal post up from the tomb chest). The top has centre and outer shafts with small figures over, a frieze between with quatrefoils in lattice, a moulded cornice and carved cresting. Traces of colour remain.

Stained Glass

Two nave south two-lights date from around 1920 and are in the style of R J Newbery. The narrow nave north lancet has 1995 glass of the Holy Family. The big four-light south transept window is in around 1900 style, possibly the 1923 window to Colonel Saurin, showing the Four Evangelists. The very large five-light east window from 1904 is by Herbert Davis in rich colours, showing the Crucifixion, saints, and scenes from the life of Christ. The chancel south left window is by Davis, 1906; the second window is also by Davis, 1906. The third window is obscured by the stall canopies and shows John XI 20 and Psalm 63 4 in streaky colours, late 19th century. The fourth window is also obscured and shows an angel and shepherds, late 19th century. One of these is from 1887, to Mrs D. Bowen. The northeast chapel has glass given by the Freemasons with masonic figures: the east three-light and two north windows are all by Percy Bacon Brothers, one dated 1921, though the style is late 19th century.

Wall Paintings

There is a remnant of a poorly preserved scheme from 1895-1901 by C. G. Gray of Cambridge that formerly covered the whole chancel, showing painted scenes in Gothic borders.