Church of St Nicholas
CHURCH OF ST NICHOLAS, HIGH STREET
Listed on the National Heritage List for England. Search over 400,000 listed places
Overview
- Heritage Category:
- Listed Building
- Grade:
- II
- List Entry Number:
- 1174148
- Date first listed:
- 25-Feb-1952
- List Entry Name:
- Church of St Nicholas
- Statutory Address:
- CHURCH OF ST NICHOLAS, HIGH STREET
Location
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Images of England Project
- Date:
- 2006-04-03
- Reference:
- IOE01/12257/22
- Rights:
- © Mr Douglas Fairbank. Source: Historic England Archive
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Discover moreOfficial list entry
- Heritage Category:
- Listed Building
- Grade:
- II
- List Entry Number:
- 1174148
- Date first listed:
- 25-Feb-1952
- List Entry Name:
- Church of St Nicholas
- Statutory Address 1:
- CHURCH OF ST NICHOLAS, HIGH 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.
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.
Location
- Statutory Address:
- CHURCH OF ST NICHOLAS, HIGH STREET
The building or site itself may lie within the boundary of more than one authority.
- County:
- Hertfordshire
- District:
- Hertsmere (District Authority)
- Parish:
- Elstree and Borehamwood
- National Grid Reference:
- TQ 17890 95394
Details
TQ 1795 ELSTREE HIGH STREET (East side) Elstree
14/161 Church of 25.2.52 St. Nicholas
CV II
Parish church. Rebuilt 1853 by P.C. Hardwick on foundations of medieval church re-using some C15 stones and retaining N aisle of 1824 by Lewis W. Wyatt. Additions of 1880 by A Blomfield and c.1897. Brick faced with knapped flint. Stone dressings. Tiled roof. Polychrome Gothic Revival Style. 5 bay nave with N and S aisles. Chancel with S organ bay and N vestry. Tower to SW. Stone capped plinth, continuous stone sill band. Random square stones set in flint facing. Stone quoins. Coped parapets with carved kneelers to all gables. S aisle retains mid to late C15 door surround: 4-centred arch under a square head with hood mould, half moulded jambs to chamfer. Rose and shield in spandrels. Single lancet to left and 2 paired lancets to right, trefoiled heads. Central buttress. 3 gabled dormers, 3 round-headed leaded lights to each. Aisle roofs pitched just below nave eaves. N aisle: 3 single and 1 paired lancet. Diagonal buttresses and intermediate straight buttresses. Chancel: slightly lower than nave, large 5-light E window with ornate tracery. Angle buttresses. Sill string course returned onto 2 bay organ extension to S of 1880, twin gables and 2 two light windows with carved stops to hoods. Angle buttresses. Central straight buttress with gargoyle. To N, 2 storey vestry: entrance to E, to N ground floor paired lancets, first floor 2-light window with carved stops to hood. Stack to right of gable. 1 storey link to N aisle of c.1897 has 2-light window with lintel inscribed to honour Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee. W end: 4-light W window with angular tracery and stops to hood mould. Sill string course steps down to left. Buttress separates N aisle which has a 2-light window. Tower: angle buttresses. Pointed arch to W entrance with colonnettes in jambs, gabled head supports a statue in a sculpted niche. Clock to right of statue. To S a quatrefoil window with gabled head, slit windows to S and E in upper stage. Belfry over continuous quatre- foil frieze. Tall openings on all. sides are paired transomed lancets with trefoiled heads, colonnettes in jambs and hood moulds. Broached shingled spire. Octagonal stair turret to W, slit windows, finial at head. Interior: all but W respond of S arcade piers have C15 bases and lower shafts. Upper shafts, capitals and chamfered pointed arches to S and all of N arcade are of 1853 following C15 model. Nave roof retains 3 early arch braced collar beams, used as basis for C19 truss. Tall chamfered chancel arch, no responds, ceiled chancel roof. Chancel floor steps up in stages to E altar. W bay of S aisle is tower with entrance from nave, angled stair-turret door to SW. E end of N aisle: entrance to vestry link, remains of earlier window over door. Entrance to organ bays from S aisle, responds terminated below capitals. 2 bay arcade with heavy mouldings from chancel to organ bays. C15 font in W bay of N aisle. Octagonal bowl with quatrefoils, renewed link to stem which has an internal pillar cased in a hollow octagonal drum with pierced panels. Wrought metal work base to chancel screen by A.Blomfield, 1881. Painted quatrefoils and stars in spandrels of nave arcades and over chancel arch from 1853 decorative scheme. Monuments: N aisle near font, alabaster wall slab to Olive Buck, d.1603, aedicular with delicately carved Arms, ribbon ornament and metric inscription. S aisle to E of S door, aedicular wall slab to Samuel Nicoll, d.1723. Tower, on S wall 2 C18 wall slabs, to W.Sharpe, d.1767 and T.Beake, d.1732. C18 coffin plaques to Sharpe family at E end of N aisle. Glass:2 quatrefoils removed from 1853 E window repositioned in N aisle W bay and S window in tower.Baptistery window by Sir N.Comper.(RCHM 1910:VCH 1923:Pevsner 1977).
Listing NGR: TQ1789095394
Legacy
The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.
- Legacy System number:
- 164212
- Legacy System:
- LBS
Sources
Books and journals
Doubleday, AH, The Victoria History of the County of Hertford, (1923)
Pevsner, N, Cherry, B, The Buildings of England: Hertfordshire, (1977)
Other
Inventory of the Historical Monuments of Hertfordshire, (1910)
Legal
This building is listed under the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990 as amended for its special architectural or historic interest.
Map
This map is for quick reference purposes only and may not be to scale. This copy shows the entry on 07-Jun-2026 at 11:11:25.
Download a full scale map (PDF)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.