Description

HOVE

TQ2506SE SOUTH STREET, Portslade
579-1/10/174 Church of St Nicolas
19/07/50
(Formerly Listed as:
PORTSLADE
SOUTH STREET, Old Portslade
Church of St Nicolas)

GV II*

Parish Church. C12 nave, south aisle and base of tower, early
C13 chancel and second stage of tower, bell stage late C14,
porch added subsequently, 1849 north aisle, 1869 north-west
chapel, for Brackenbury family, and turret, C17 singing
gallery removed late C19, chancel floor relaid in the 1930s,
1959 roof restored, vestry and organ gallery added. Random
rubble stone, stone dressings, knapped flint to Brackenbury
Chapel, coursed rubble to tower, Horsham stone slates to roofs
of nave and aisles, also to pyramid roof of tower, clay tiles
with coped verges to chancel and porch.
Plan: chancel set at an angle to the 3-bay nave with north and
south aisles, Brackenbury chapel west end addition to north
aisle with stairway adjoining west tower, south porch, large
NE vestry additions.
3-stage crenellated tower, unbuttressed, lancet openings on
west face, round arch head west door chamfered in 2 orders,
all single light windows to body of the church, irregular
fenestration to north aisle, gabled porch, pointed arch
opening with square-headed ribbed door, square-headed door to
south aisle. East end of aisle with headstones to the Blacker
family attached, dating from 1817 to 1869, 3 lancets to south
face of chancel, 2 tall lancets with small round window above
at east end, similar at east end of north aisle, 3 windows to
north aisle, west end of Brackenbury Chapel with crocketed
buttresses and 3-light window, doorway with lugged head to
stairway lit by tiny 2-light mullioned windows.
Interior: rendered. Remains of medieval wallpaintings
depicting The Last Judgement were discovered in 1847,
subsequently painted over they are illustrated in the first
volume of the Sussex Archeological Collections. 3-bay king
post roof to nave, plastic sheeting masking rafters, unmoulded
wallplate. Monopitch rafter roof to south aisle, double pitch
to north aisle. C19 scissor truss roof to chancel. Pointed
chancel arch, chamfered; pointed tower arch; scallop capitals
to pointed arch openings of arcade. Sedillia and piscina in
chancel. Panelled chancel and altar table of late C19-early
C20 date, mid C20 altar table set in front of the sanctuary
with late C20 altar rails. Stone pulpit with wrought iron
handrail continued as chancel railings. Many headstones laid
as floor paving in nave and aisles including 3 of black marble
dating from the C18, parquet flooring to chancel.
Memorials: 3 marble tablets to the Clutton family who were the
incumbents for 3 successive generations in the C18 and C19;
remains of brass to the Scrase family, dated 1499, removed
from the Church of St Peter, West Blatchington (qv) when it
was derelict. The former reredos, probably C17, comprising 4
incised stone panels reset at west end. Brackenbury Chapel:
glazed partition between the chapel and north aisle, formerly
a metal grill, 3-bay blind arcades with foliate capitals and
foliage decoration to cornice, stone ribbed tunnel vault roof,
stained glass, chest tomb of black marble with crucifix.
(Sussex Archaeological Collections: 1848-; Dale A: Brighton
Churches: 1989-).

Listing NGR: TQ2554706348

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• St Nicolas Church, Portslade at Wikipedia
• St Nicolas Church, Portslade official website
• Wikidata Q7594970

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.

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