Parish Church of St Nicholas

PARISH CHURCH OF ST NICHOLAS, COLLEGE YARD

Listed on the National Heritage List for England. Search over 400,000 listed places

Explore this list entry

Overview

Heritage Category:
Listed Building
Grade:
I
List Entry Number:
1299749
Date first listed:
24-Oct-1950
List Entry Name:
Parish Church of St Nicholas
Statutory Address:
PARISH CHURCH OF ST NICHOLAS, COLLEGE YARD
User submitted image
Contributed by David Lovell This photo may not represent the current condition of the site. Over 400,000 images and stories have been added to the Missing Pieces Project so far. Share your story.
View all

Location

Location of this list entry and nearby places that are also listed. Use our map search to find more listed places. 

There is a problem

Use of this mapping is subject to terms and conditions .

This map is for quick reference purposes only and may not be to scale.

What is the National Heritage List for England?

The National Heritage List for England is a unique register of our country's most significant historic buildings and sites. The places on the list are protected by law and most are not open to the public.

The list includes:

Icon Buildings
Icon Scheduled monuments
Icon Parks and gardens
Icon Battlefields
Icon Shipwrecks

Find out more about listing

Images of England Project

To view this image please use Firefox, Chrome, Safari, or Edge.
Archive image, may not represent current condition of site.
Date:
2004-02-09
Reference:
IOE01/11399/34
Rights:
© Mr M.K Lofthouse. Source: Historic England Archive

Local Heritage Hub

Unlock and explore hidden histories, aerial photography, and listed buildings and places for every county, district, city and major town across England.

Discover more

Official list entry

Heritage Category:
Listed Building
Grade:
I
List Entry Number:
1299749
Date first listed:
24-Oct-1950
List Entry Name:
Parish Church of St Nicholas
Statutory Address 1:
PARISH CHURCH OF ST NICHOLAS, COLLEGE YARD

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:
PARISH CHURCH OF ST NICHOLAS, COLLEGE YARD

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

District:
Medway (Unitary Authority)
Parish:
Non Civil Parish
National Grid Reference:
TQ 74282 68570

Details

ROCHESTER COLLEGE YARD TQ 7468 NW 7/16 Parish Church of St Nicholas 24.10.50 GV I Former parish church now the diocesan offices. 1421-3 (dedicated 1423); much rebuilding (including the arcades) after a fire, re- dededicated 1624, restored and refenestrated 1860-2. W end and aisles partitioned in 1970s to form office space. Coursed rubble ragstone; Kent tile roof. NW tower (originally detached to allow for a processional way); nave with aisles, chancel with shallow aisles; vestry to N of chancel. Exterior: W front (facing College yard): NW tower: 3 stages; moulded W doorway with hoodmould (now with fixed glazing); string-courses between all stages, with 4 courses of flint/ragstone chequerboard decoration to lower stage and a band of knapped flint to 1st, below string courses; cusped lancet to 1st stage, similar belfry opening, both square-headed under hood mould. Small light to SW stair. Removed parapet. Vertical masonry joint clearly marks the division between SW angle of tower and later wall connecting it was N aisle. gabled W wall to nave with W doorway similar to tower and C19 5-light Decorated window, framed by buttresses with set-offs. Aisle with plan parapet that returns along S side. C19 perpendicular and Decorated 3-light windows to S aisle with C15 buttresses between. Chancel with many later accretions and some brick patching; the rubble masonry here is random rubble and presumably demotes later alterations (rather than earlier work) which included the reduction of the aisles. C19 5-light e window. Interior: 5-bay arcade rebuilt after 1624 with tall Tuscan columns supporting equilateral pointed arches with quadrant moulding. Chancel arch (on Tuscan half-columns) with cyma mouldings. Plaster ceiling together with the coffered chancel ceiling, late C18/early C19. Aisles divided from chancel by cornice carrying a frieze of swags supported on panelled pilasters, and with little fan vaults, all C.1800. Monuments: 2 small rural monuments with kneeling figures (Thomas Rocke, d.1635 and signed by John and Matthias Christmas; George Wilson d.1629). The Buildings of England volume mentions a good monument by Sir Robert Taylor in S aisle (not inspected). W Window: brightly coloured glass by Charles Gibbs. early C19 octagonal stone font.

Listing NGR: TQ7428468566

Legacy

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

Legacy System number:
172945
Legacy System:
LBS

Sources

Books and journals
Pevsner, N, The Buildings of England: Wiltshire, (1975)

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 Parish Church of St Nicholas

Map

This map is for quick reference purposes only and may not be to scale. This copy shows the entry on 22-Jun-2026 at 13:19:29.

Download a full scale map (PDF)
© Crown copyright [and database rights] 2026. OS AC0000815036. Use of this mapping is subject to Terms and Conditions.

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.

Previous Overview
Next Comments and Photos