HER 11696 - CHURCH OF ST NICHOLAS

Church. 12th century core with later 12th century aisles, 14th century tower to west and chancel to east, restored in 1845 by William Butterfield and south porch added in 1862. Car- stone and ironstone blocks with some coursed Bargate stone on transept, Bargate and clunch dressings with some Bathstone dressings to upper part of tower. Horsham slab pentice roof to south and on nave. Shingled pyramidal roof on west tower with raised ridge and gablets. Cruciform plan with tower to west and porch to south. Square tower with quoined angles and offset string courses. Two-light, round arched louvred windows to upper stage and irregular "scaffold holes" with tile-on-edge filling on tower. Wooden diamond shaped clock face on south side over further lancet window, recut two-light, trefoil-head window to south side. Large 3-light Decorated style window to west face in deep coved surround and under hood moulding, studded and strap-hinged door below. Former stair turret to north-west angle. Two square headed, ogee traceried windows to north aisle, with buttresses to ends and centre. North transept window 19th century Decorated style, inserted in 1862-6 when both transepts were lengthened and the vestry was added to north with battlemented parapets and ogee head lancet fenestration. East end - Diagonal buttresses to ends. 5-light, leaded east window with banks of quatrefoil tracery above. South aisle: square headed, two-light, ogee arched windows. Timber framed gabled porch with braced arched entrance. Arcaded bargeboards with foliate decoration, 6 leaded arched windows to sides of porch over rendered plinth walls. Interior:- Spacious, aisles open to nave in wide and open bays on round pier arcades with "crimped" decoration to arches and arches of crossings and doors. Half-octagonal pier responds to tower arch with chamfer and hood moulds. Braced tower posts visible inside. Chancel arch wide and high and to the west of it are the beginnings of another wide transverse arch, not continued and now capped by two early 20th century statues, possibly the west arch of a former crossing although V.C.H. believed it to be former chancel arch superceded before completion. Main arch of north transept (Knoll Chapel) of two orders with moulded imposts. Arch of south transept with shafts of trefoil section and circular abaci and large floral corbels for multi-moulded ribbed arch to transept. Painted hammer-beam roof to chancel. Fittings:- Triple sedilia on south wall with moulded arches on trefoiled inner order. Fine tabernacle and reredos either side of east window by William Butterfield with mosaic decoration, crocketed gables and tracery arcade above. One parclose screen in S. transept. 14th century. Single panels with ogee tracery heads. Pulpit 1845. Octagonal and panelled on eight columns with ogee crocketed panels made up of remains from screen. Late 16th century lectern on salamonic twist stand and strapwork base. Octagonal font. Monuments:- Fragmentary brasses on north side of chancel. Rosa Chadwick Healey memorial. 1880. Elaborate brass with angel under Gothic Arch and wall paintings of St. Rosa and St. Tabitha. 1910 Art Nouveau niche memorial on East Wall of North transept. PEVSNER: BUILDINGS OF ENGLAND, SURREY (1971) pp.173-4. V.C.H. (1967 Ed) Vol. III pp.86-92. Listing NGR: TQ0598639139

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