Church. Mostly C14 with C12 core; hancel rebuilt in 1845 by G.G. Scott but incorporating C12 work. Church restored and vestry/organ chamber added in 1879
by Somers Clarke. Squared and coursed limestone with ashlar dressings. Roof not
visible behind parapet. Stone slate roof to vestry. Three-bay nave with south
porch, south transept, 2-bay apsidal chancel with north vestry/organ chamber,
and partly-integral west tower. Chancel rebuilt in a neo-Norman style. Tower: 2
stages externally. Chamfered plinth, chamfered offset above belfry and string
course to parapet with chamfered coping. Chamfered ogee-headed lancet openings
to belfry and trefoil-headed -rectangular first-floor west window. Nave and
transept: chamfered plinth, coved parapet string course with carved gargoyles at
corners, and parapet with chamfered coping. South side of nave: central
square-headed window of 2 cinquefoil-headed lights with cusped flowing tracery,
chamfered reveals and hood mould with carved heads as stops.
Continuously-moulded south doorway in angle to right with pair of C19 boarded
doors and hood mould with carved heads as stops. Gabled stone porch with cored
string course, parapet with chamfered coping, and continuously-moulded archway
covered by hood mould with carved heads as stops. Interior of porch with stone
side benches and roof with moulded wooden wall plates, chamfered ridge piece
with broach stops and chamfered rafters. North side; 2 buttresses with chamfered
offsets. Outer bays have square-headed windows, that to left C14 of 2
cinquefoil-headed lights with cusped tracery, chamfered reveals and returned
hood mould and that to right a C19 restoration of 2 ogee trefoil-headed lights,
reticulated tracery, chamfered reveals and returned hood mould. Central doorway
with continuously-moulded arch, returned hood mould and old boarded door with
wrought-iron strap hinges. West end: trefoiled chamfered triangular windows high
up flanking tower. Transept: large square-headed south window of 3 ogee
cinquefoil-headed lights with reticulated tracery, moulded reveals and hood
mould with carved stops (left-hand stop weathered, right-hand stop is a carved
beast). South doorway to left with continuously-moulded arch, hood mould with
carved heads and stops and C19 boarded door. Square-headed east window of 2 ogee
cinquefoil-headed lights with cusped tracery, chamfered reveals and hood mould
with carved stops (beasts). East wall of nave and chancel with weathering of
former chancel roof-pitch. Chancel: flush dressed stone eaves band, and
chamfered stone eaves band with corbel table, including many reused well-carved
C12 corbels. Three chamfered round-arched east windows with hood moulds.
Chamfered trefoil-headed lancet with hood mould to south. Vestry: gable end to
north; ground-floor rectangular window of 3 ogee cinquefoil headed lights with
moulded reveals and square-headed window in apex of one ogee cinquefoil-headed
light with moulded reveals. Continuously-chamfered arched basement doorway with boarded door. Interior: C19 five-bay nave roof with moulded wall plates,
king-post trusses, from moulded stone corbels (some reused medieval corbel
heads), pairs of chamfered purlins, and chamfered rafters. Chamfered rear arches
to nave, north door with plain segmental relieving arch. North-east window with
flight of stone steps in wall beneath, probably to former roof loft. Piscina to
south-east with chamfered trefoiled arch and circular bowl. Continuous
double-chamfered tower arch covered by hood mould with carved heads as stops.
Tower window with Caernarvon rear arch and relieving arch in wall above. Large
wooden ladder to belfry. Stilted wave-moulded transept arch springing from short
Wall shafts with moulded bases and capitals and ball-flower ornament, carried
round to chancel arch and around transept as cill strung; hood mould with carved
heads as stops. Cill string projecting as image brackets flanking transept east
window with weathered corbel heads, and carried over south door as hood mould.
Segmental rear arch dying into responds. Double piscina in south wall of
transept, with ogee trefoil-headed arches, central free-standing mullion,
panelled spandrels and square hood. C19 two-bay transept roof with moulded
cambered tie-beam, curved brackets springing from old carved stone corbels
(possibly reset), chamfered purlins with broach stops and chamfered rafters.
Double wave-moulded chancel arch (the outer moulding continuous) springing from
short wall shafts with moulded bases and capitals, chamfered reveal beneath with
ball-flower ornament (carried round from transept to right), and returned hood
mould. Piscina in north respond of arch with chamfered trefoiled arch and
scalloped bowl. String course to right of chancel arch projects as an image
bracket with defaced corbel head beneath. C19 two-bay chancel roof with
arched-braced collar, pairs of purlins and boarded soffit. Organ opening on
north wall of chancel with wooden lintel. South chancel window with chamfered
rear arch. Double sedilia in south wall of chancel formed from former C14
twb-light window (in east wall until 1848) with cinquefoil-headed arched
openings panelled tracery, chamfered reveals and returned hood mould. Reset C12
chancel arch to apse consisting of one order of shafts with cushion capitals and
moulded bases, moulded imposts, chevron ornament to arch and chevron-ornamented
hood mould. Apse with boarded roof and splayed reveals to east windows.
Fittings: mainly late C19. Traceried-panelled oak altar with inscription to
rear; "SANCTUS SANCTUS SANCTUS". Oak reredos of 1901, by Harry Hems and Sons of
Exeter, with traceried panels, carved frieze and cresting and 2 carved angels in
niches. Wrought-iron and brass altar rails. Oak choir stalls with pierced carved backs, carved poppyheads and trefoil-arcaded frontals. Painted wooden vestry
screen with organ to centre. Oak chancel screen dated 1897, also by Hems and
Sons of Exeter, with pierced cinquefoil-headed lights, blind traceried lower
panels, and carved frieze and cresting. Brass lectern. Polygonal wooden pulpit
with trefoil panels and circular stone stem. C14 polygonal stone font with
2-light blind traceried panels, ball-flower ornament to frieze and C19
iron-bound wooden cover; step. Oak screen to tower arch with pierced traceried
panels. Vestry with revised C12 carved grotesque corbel heads, chamfered-arched
corner fireplace with wooden cornice, and chamfered rear arch to north window.
Transept fitted out as squires pew in the C19 with plain pews and low screen
with gate. C19 brass electric chandeliers in chancel, nave and transept. Stone
floors throughout, except for C19 tiles to chancel and vestry. Stained glass:
apse windows of 1879, by Clayton and Bell. More C19 glass in transept, north
window of nave and west window of tower. Fragments of probably medieval stained
glass in small west windows of nave. Monuments: brass on south wall of nave, to
Walter Gooden (d.l513), Incised stone tablet in nave floor to Elizabeth Clement
(d. September 1699), with inscription: "SHORT WAS HUR STAY/THE LONGER IS HUR
REST/GOD OFTEN TAKS AWAY/WHOM HE LOVES BEST"; also to Robert Clement (d. 31
October 1731). Two C18 marble wall tablets in south transept, one to Barbara
Gore (d. 27 August 1770) with moulded cornice, scrolls flanking inscription and
with husk garlands above and base, with shield and palm fronds, and one to Henry
Browne with panelled pilasters and open triangular pediment with urn. Tablet to
left of chancel arch to Robert Buswell (d.31 March 1766) with flanking pilaster
strips, cornice, curved triangular pediment, and bracket to base. Old photograph
in vestry of church after restoration. The church of Saint Nicholas stands near
to Kiddington Hall (q.v.) and forms part of a small country house group.
(Buildings of England: Oxfordshire: pp668-9; Kelly's Directory of Oxfordshire
(1911) pp137-8)
St. Nicholas' Church is listed Grade II*. For more information about the listing see CHURCH OF ST NICHOLAS, Kiddington with Asterleigh - 1198490 | Historic England.
|
