The church of St.
Nicholas consists of chancel, nave, west tower and south porch. The
walls are of flint with stone dressings and the low-pitched roofs
are covered with lead.
The general walling
of nave and west tower, the north and south doorways and the
windows adjoining them on the west, belong to the middle of the
14th century; the west window of the tower and the north, south and
west belfry openings were inserted later in the century; the east
belfry opening may be original. About 1440 the chancel arch was
pulled down and built about 2 ft. further east, and the two large
nave windows with their niches and the low-side window were
inserted, and the upper passage to the rood-loft roughly formed
eastward towards the new chancel arch. The clerestory was raised
towards the end of the 15th century and the south porch was
erected, and the chancel arch recut to
fit it under the new low-pitched roof, the former roof having been
high-pitched, as shown by the marks on the east face of the tower.
The chancel was rebuilt of brick about the beginning of the 18th
century. In 1887 the church was restored, a new roof put over the
nave, and stone windows inserted in the chancel. The nave and tower
walls are embattled.
In the north wall
of the nave is a large 15th-century three-light window with tracery
in the head under a four-centred arch. In the south wall is a
similar window, and to the east of it is a low-side window of the
same date as the larger windows. Both North and South doorways
retain their original oak doors, with plain iron hinges; the south
doorway has deep sockets in the jambs for the oak bar. The nave
roof is modern, but contains four figures of monks holding shields,
from the old roof; three of the shields are plain, the fourth is
barred.
The south porch is
of late 15th-century work; on the west side is a three-light window
a similar window on the east side has been blocked. The entrance
doorway has a moulded four-centred arch under a square head.
The tower, which
has no stairway, is of two stages, with embattled top, with moulded
stringcourse under, at the angles of which are carvings, that at
the south-west representing a soldier's head armed with basinet and
camail of the 14th century.
In the churchyard there is a
Waymark dedicated to Cyril Thomas
Demarne.
If anybody would like to expand to this series please do, I would
just ask that you could let
Sadexploration know first so he can
keep track of the Church numbers and names to avoid
duplication.