Church of St Nicholas

Details

GREAT WAKERING NEW ROAD TQ 9487 17/140 Church Church of St. Nicholas 27.7.59 GV II* Parish Church. Circa 1100 chancel and nave, circa 1130 ground stage of west tower the upper part later the same century. Chancel arch rebuilt C15. Late C15 west porch with room over C16 south porch. Circa 1843 north vestry. C19 and later restorations. Roughly coursed ragstone flint and septaria rubble walls. Limestone dressings. Red plain tiled roofs. Chancel, east wall, angled buttress to north angle. Gault brick to gable apex. C19 east window of 3 trefoiled ogee lights, tracery over, moulded 2-centred arch and label. South wall 2 eastern restored lancet windows, western C15 window of 2 cinquefoiled lights, vertical tracery, under a moulded square head and label. C19 north vestry, plastered brick, east window of 3 trefoiled ogee lights tracery over, 2-centred arch and label, 2 lancet windows to north wall. 2-centred arch to central doorway. Nave, north wall, eastern window restored C14 of 2 trefoiled lights, 2-centred arch and label, central wide window, 2-centred arch, with inserted C18 2-light wooden frame. To the west, high up, is a blocked circa 1100 round headed window and far west, below the eaves a C18 3-light window with transom. The C14 blocked 2-centred arch north doorway is to east of the circa 1100 window. South wall, the 2 eastern windows similar to the north wall eastern window. Partly restored C14 western window of 2 pointed lights, under a 2-centred head and label. Mid C13 south doorway, jambs and 2 centred arch of 2 chamfered orders, moulded imposts, moulded label with defaced headstops. C15 door of 5 nailed boards with centre and edge fillets, strap hinges. Scratch dials to either side of door and remains of stoup to east wall. South porch of flint and rubble, gabled red plain tiled roof of 2 bays, moulded and cambered tie beams, moulded braces and wall posts, very small octagonal crown post with moulded capitals and base, moulded centre purlin. Timber outer doorway, moulded jambs, 3-centred arch, sunk spandrels, moulded tie beam over. West tower of 3 stages, (approx. 13 1/2 feet square), the first stage circa 1130-1140 with pilaster buttresses to angles, the 2 later C12 upper stages without buttresses. Bell chamber, north, south and west face stone windows of 2 trefoiled lights, segmental heads and labels, east brick window with segmental head and label. Clock faces below the south and west windows, there is said to be a blocked C12 window in this wall, scarcely visible externally. The north wall also has a blocked C12 window with a later smaller round headed window set in, and to the ground floor a C15 window of 2 cinquefoiled lights under a square head and moulded label. The tower interior, not accessible at time of re-survey, said to contain other C12 windows and C15 west doorway with moulded jambs and 2-centred arch in a square head with moulded label, spandrels with quatrefoiled circles enclosing foliage. Octagonal weatherboarded spire with splays at tower angles. The unusual west porch of 2 storeys with gables to west and south. Moulded plinth. Square headed window to first floor of west face. West doorway with splayed responds and 2-centred arch, plank and muntin door. Small window to first floor of south gable, flint band to gable. Said to be a medieval Stoup to left of stair turret doorway and well preserved timbers in the priests chamber. Interior:- Chancel:- Boarded barrel vaulted roof. Exodus and Lords Prayer boards flank the Altar. Piscina in south wall, a recess with no drain, moulded concave pointed head. Turned balusters to altar rail. C19 south arcade of 2 bays, capitals and bases to octagonal columns, chamfered 2-centred arches. C19 north vestry/Lady Chapel. Of 3 bays, moulded tie beams, tall thin 4 armed octagonal crown posts C19 octagonal font, cross to west panel. ?C16 chest with barrel lid and strap hinges. Chancel arch, C15, 2-centred of 2 chamfered orders, the inner resting on attached semi-octagonal shafts with moulded capitals and bases, responds except the capitals C13, possibly reset. Nave:- C14/C15 7 cant roof of 3 bays, that to east boarded. Moulded wall plates, moulded wall posts rest on stone carved face corbels, of 2 angels with wings and a man and woman. Moulded arched braces support the moulded and cambered tie beam, 4 armed octagonal crown posts with moulded capitals and bases. C19 stone octagonal pulpit, acanthus moulding to rim, floral diapering, moulded soffit, octagonal stem, moulded base, stone steps. Chamfered 2-centred arch to rood loft stairs. Traces of painting to north eastern window splay. North west wall monument to Elizabeth Peart 1832. Traces of ?C17/C18 painted inscription "Come unto me all ye that are heavy laden" to east of north doorway. A moulded band from west of south doorway continues through to south of West Tower arch. Organ 1929 by R. Huntingford blocks West Tower arch. Tower arch said to be of 2 plain orders with chamfered imposts, semi-circular arch. The Norman Font came from Horndon, Essex, Church during the 1970's. Square plan, north and south faces with 3 interlocking round headed arches, east and west faces with fluerette crosses, plain circular central column,angle columns with moulded bases and cushion capitals, square base. RCHM 2.

Listing NGR: TQ9496287562

Legacy

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

Legacy System number:

123154

Legacy System:

LBS

Sources

Books and journals
An Inventory of Essex South East, (1923)

End of official list entry

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