Church of St Nicholas

CHURCH OF ST NICHOLAS, CHURCH STREET

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Overview

Heritage Category:
Listed Building
Grade:
I
List Entry Number:
1150775
Date first listed:
22-Aug-1966
List Entry Name:
Church of St Nicholas
Statutory Address:
CHURCH OF ST NICHOLAS, CHURCH STREET
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Date:
2007-05-28
Reference:
IOE01/16689/24
Rights:
© Mr David H. Brown. Source: Historic England Archive

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Official list entry

Heritage Category:
Listed Building
Grade:
I
List Entry Number:
1150775
Date first listed:
22-Aug-1966
List Entry Name:
Church of St Nicholas
Statutory Address 1:
CHURCH OF ST NICHOLAS, CHURCH STREET

The scope of legal protection for listed buildings

This List entry helps identify the building designated at this address for its special architectural or historic interest.

Unless the List entry states otherwise, it includes both the structure itself and any object or structure fixed to it (whether inside or outside) as well as any object or structure within the curtilage of the building.

For these purposes, to be included within the curtilage of the building, the object or structure must have formed part of the land since before 1st July 1948.

Understanding list entries

Corrections and minor amendments

The scope of legal protection for listed buildings

This List entry helps identify the building designated at this address for its special architectural or historic interest.

Unless the List entry states otherwise, it includes both the structure itself and any object or structure fixed to it (whether inside or outside) as well as any object or structure within the curtilage of the building.

For these purposes, to be included within the curtilage of the building, the object or structure must have formed part of the land since before 1st July 1948.

Understanding list entries

Corrections and minor amendments

Location

Statutory Address:
CHURCH OF ST NICHOLAS, CHURCH STREET

The building or site itself may lie within the boundary of more than one authority.

District:
North Yorkshire (Unitary Authority)
Parish:
West Tanfield
National Grid Reference:
SE 26800 78742

Details

WEST TANFIELD CHURCH STREET SE 2678-2778 (west end) 10/50 Church of St Nicholas 22.8.66

GV I

Church. Early C13, late C13, C15 and C19 restoration. Coursed squared stone, ashlar, Welsh slate roof. West tower, nave, south porch, north aisle with vestry, chancel. West tower: Perpendicular, 3 stages. Offset diagonal buttresses up to belfry level. To south side a buttress like stair tower up to the belfry, to bottom is a segmental-arched doorway, above very small one-light chamfered openings. Stone bands between stages. Blank second stage. Belfry openings have pointed-arched head with hoodmoulds, cusped tracery of 2-lights. Projecting embattled parapet. West tower: window has pointed-arched head with hoodmould, of 3 lights with rectilinear tracery. Clock face below belfry to west facade. Nave: 4 bays. C15 walls, refaced 1860. South porch of c1200, outer round-arched moulded doorway with hoodmould which continues as eaves band, set in steeply gabled porch with stone roof and a tunnel vault. Inner doorway similar with board door. To left of porch a 2-light flat-headed window with hoodmould and rectilinear tracery. To right of porch 2 flat-headed 2-light windows with cusped rectilinear tracery and hoodmoulds. To right is a wide original stone offset buttress. Stone coping, gable cross. North aisle: Perpendicular, 4 bays, gabled east end. Offset angle buttresses between bays and offset diagonal buttress to east. To west is a vestry with 3-light pointed-arched cusped traceried window with hoodmould, to its east a small outshut porch with pointed-arched doorway. Three 3-light windows with rectilinear tracery and segmental heads with hoodmoulds. East window to north aisle has pointed arch with hoodmould and is of 5-lights with cusped rectilinear tracery. Stone coping, gable crosses. West window of 3-lights with pointed arch, hoodmould and rectilinear tracery. Chancel: C13, 2 bays. Walls refaced in 1860. Offset diagonal buttresses to east. Two 4-centred arched windows with hoodmoulds, of 3 cusped lights, to south. East window has pointed arch with hoodmould, of 3-lights, with intersecting tracery. Stone coping, gable cross. Interior: north arcade of 4 bays, late C13, octagonal piers and capitals, double chamfered pointed arches with hoodmoulds. Similar arch from north aisle to chancel. Chancel has pointed arch of C19. Behind the chancel arch, facing the north chapel, is a recess with moulded shallow arch to front, cusped 2-light opening through to chancel to rear and similar single light openings to east. Possibly a small chantry chapel. (A chancery was founded in 1335 to be read for Maude Marmion.) In the north aisle, some C15 stained glass with figures including a large figure of a female saint and a small crucifix. C19 hammer beam roofs. Monuments: several to the Marmion family: effigies of Sir William Marmion 1275, a lady late C14, and another lady on a tomb chest. A cross legged knight and a later C14 lady arranged as a couple placed under a tall canopy with openwork cusping and a crocketed gable perhaps late C13. Alabaster effigies of Sir John Marmion 1387 and his wife on a plain stone plinth, by her head 2 angels, by her feet a dog. All this is placed under an ironwork hearse of the same date, at each corner and on apex of ogee arches are candle spikes with leaf motif wax holders. The horizontal pieces of ironwork are castellated. Ironwork of this date over a tomb is probably unique in this country. Brass to Thomas Sutton, Rector c1492.

Listing NGR: SE2679878743

Legacy

The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.

Legacy System number:
332680
Legacy System:
LBS

Legal

This building is listed under the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990 as amended for its special architectural or historic interest.

Ordnance survey map of Church of St Nicholas

Map

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End of official list entry

All text content is available under the Open Government Licence v3.0 , except where otherwise stated. Any supplied maps are © Crown Copyright [and database rights] 2026 OS AC0000815036 and may not be reproduced without permission.

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