Description

TL 66 NE TL 76 NW KENNETT DANE HILL ROAD
(north side)

6/132 7/132 Parish Church
of St Nicholas
19.8.59
II*

Small parish church with an original early C13 nave,
north-aisle, and chancel extended later in C13 by one bay with
three very fine windows and double piscena. The tower appears
to be late C13 or early C14, and to have been completed later in
C14. The north doorway is transitional in style and
noteworthy. The north porch, chancel arch and screen, and tower
arch are C15. The roofs are modern and were possibly rebuilt
after wartime bomb damage. Walls of flint and rubble originally
plastered, with limestone and clunch dressings, clunch arcade,
piscena and openings. Graded slate gable roofs with modern
stone parapets and kneelers. West tower and angle buttresses of
four stages; embattled parapet, shallow plinth. Sealed belfrey
lights to west facade, two-centred west doorway arch of two
chamfered orders, second stage three-light window in two-centred
arch with intersecting mullions; belfrey window of two,
cinquefoil lights with a quartrefoil in two-centred arch. North
elevation: north porch has partly resorted C15 moulded arch.
North doorway with round headed arch and label terminating at
moulded imposts has two slender detached ringed shafts with
water leaf capitals and moulded bases. North aisle,
unbuttressed, with long and short stone quoins, similar to rear
wall of tower and with original flint courses has three lancet
windows, one a modern replacement. Chancel, with original C13
flint coursing has a straight joint where it was extended later
in C13. The lancet sanctuary windows, all partly restored, have
detached shafts with deeply moulded bell capitals and bases,
those in the east window have shafts with rings. The north
window has two lancet lights, the south window three, and the
east window three lights with a common label and head stops.
The late C13 double piscena with foiled drains has two deeply
moulded two-centre arches with trefoiled inner arches, divided
by detached shafts with deeply moulded caps and bases. Label
has finely carved foliate stops and central boss. North arcade
of three bays and one bay terminating in wall of tower has
two-centred, steeply pitched arches of two chamfered orders with
labels; octagonal piers with plain capitals and bases. C15
tower arch and chancel arch, two-centred with two chamfered
orders, moulded capitals and bases and semi octagonal piers.
The screen, contemporary with the chancel arch is carved on both
sides, the central arch a blind ogee with rosettes in the
spandrels was once painted. The font, early C14 square
limestone with chamfered corners stands on single shaft with
moulded capital and base and square plinth. Stained glass
windows, C19, by A Gibbs, 38 Bedford Street, London.

Pevsner. Buildings of England, p.416
St Nicholas Parish Church History. 1968

Listing NGR: TL6999068352

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Parish Church of St Nicholas at Wikipedia
• Wikidata Q17543570

External links are from the relevant listing authority and, where applicable, Wikidata. Wikidata IDs may be related buildings as well as this specific building. If you want to add or update a link, you will need to do so by editing the Wikidata entry.

Recommended Books

• 
  Development and Design of Heritage Sensitive Sites: Strategies for Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas
• 
  Pioneers of Modern Design: From William Morris to Walter Gropius (Penguin Art & Architecture)
• 
  Herefordshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Oxfordshire: North and West (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Lancashire: Manchester and the South-East (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Historic Environment Law: Planning, Listed Buildings, Monuments, Conservation Areas and Objects, Supplement 2014