Description

BEDFIELD CHURCH LANE
TM 26 NW
2/17 Church of St Nicholas
29/7/55

GV I

Parish church. Medieval; chancel restored 1870. Nave, chancel, west tower,
south porch. Flint rubble with stone dressings; nave has remains of render.
Nave roof is leaded, the chancel plaintiled. C15 tower: square, with 4 stages
and crenellated parapet. Diagonal buttresses to west and lateral buttresses
to east, projecting to north and south. Flushwork decoration to plinth,
buttresses and parapet. Moulded west doorway with fleuron-enriched arch.
Above is a 3-light window, to each side and above which are 3 canopied statue
niches. Stonework to doorway, window and niches largely renewed C19. 2nd
stage has small trefoil-headed windows to north and south. 2-light belfry
openings, that to the south blocked. Nave has C12 core: original north
doorway with one order of colonnettes and a chevron arch. Early C14 south
doorway with medieval door. Various late C14 and C15 windows, 2 to south with
mask stops to the hoodmoulds. C15 porch: wide hoodmoulded entrance with
cinquefoil-headed niche above; blocked cinquefoil-headed single-light side
windows. Original crown-post roof. C12 chancel, extended to east in C14. To
the south, 2 2-light Perpendicular windows with square heads, one
substantially original. Altered Priest's doorway. To the north is a single
lancet window. 3-light east window with Geometrical tracery, inserted 1872.
Interior. C14 or early C15 coupled-rafter nave roof with scissor-braced
collars and a moulded cornice enriched with fleurons; original boarding
between the ashlar pieces; narrow boarded section at east end is probably for
a canopy of honour. Arch-braced chancel roof of 1870. Rood stair in south
east nave, with an arch in the east splay of a window. Empty niches to each
side of the chancel arch. Chancel has a C14 piscina with 2-centred arch;
adjacent window has low sill for sedilia. Early C15 octagonal font, the 8
bowl panels carved with 5 different traceried designs and 3 shields. Fine
early C17 font cover: panelled base with detached columns at the angles;
openwork above, with carved brackets converging on a central column which
terminates in a spike finial. At west end of nave are 8 benches with ends
terminating in scrolls, perhaps C16. Remainder of seating is of c.1870.
Early C17 pulpit with bookboard on carved brackets. C15 dado of rood screen
with traceried panels painted with Old Testament prophets. Reredos of 1870
incorporates Lord's Prayer, Commandments and Creed.

Listing NGR: TM2271366347

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Wikidata Q17525524

External links are from the relevant listing authority and, where applicable, Wikidata. Wikidata IDs may be related buildings as well as this specific building. If you want to add or update a link, you will need to do so by editing the Wikidata entry.

Recommended Books

• 
  Devon (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Somerset: South and West (Pevsner Architectural Guides) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Yorkshire West Riding: Sheffield and the South (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Wiltshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Churches: An Architectural Guide (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Introductions)
• 
  County Durham (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England) by Elizabeth Williamson Nikolaus Pevsner(1983-03-11)