Description

RAYLEIGH CHURCH ROAD TQ 79 SE RAWRETH 2/63 Church of St. Nicholas 27.8.57 - II

Parish church. C15 west tower. Circa 1882 Rev. E. Geldart, Chancel, Nave, north and south aisles, the latter demolished due to 1939-45 war damage, north porch, south chapels, using some old materials and built upon former church foundations and costing £2,500. Mainly ragstone with limestone and blue Bathstone dressings, some red brick and some flint flushwork. Red plain tiled roofs. Chancel, east wall. Right and left buttresses. Flint flushwork band. 5 light window with tracery over, label continues to form band. Band below window. North wall with 2 centre buttresses, two 2 centre arched windows, square labels over, and a 4 centre arched window of 2 ogee lights with tracery over and label. North aisle, small triangular bay east wall window with pointed roof and flint flushwork decoration. North wall 2 chamfered 4 light windows with square heads. North gabled and buttressed porch, moulded 2 centred arch, shields to right and left, square label over. Niche to gable with figure of a saint. 2 attached 2 centre arched doorways with shafted jambs. North wall of Nave with 5 clerestorey 2 light ogee windows in square heads, flint flushwork parapet. Small bell turret to east. West tower, the crenellations and upper storey recently restored. Old gargoyles to each angle, restored moulded band. Plinth and central band. Trefoiled 2 light belfry windows, labels over, to each face, some restored. Square opening below southern window. Angled south stair turret with hipped roof at clerestorey height. West face, trefoiled 2 light window with label over below belfry window. 3 light west window with tracery over under 2 centred arch and moulded label. 2 centre arched west doorway, label over. South wall, C20 plastered with two 2 light windows set into the blocked former south aisle, clerestorey over matching that in north wall. Gabled north Chancel with 2 small trefoiled windows, angle buttresses. Lean-to chamber to west of chapel with chamfered square headed doorway. Interior. Chancel roof barrel vaulted with 3 pairs of moulded ribs and end ribs. Pierced and crenellated ashlar plate. Coloured tile sanctuary floor. C19 Piscina and dropped cill Sedila. C19 painted triptyche reredos, carved wooden frame, stone base. C19 altar, carved painted panels between buttresses. Chamfered 2 centred arch leading to south chapel. Carved bench ends. 4 brasses, Edmund Tyrell and his wife of Beaches 1576, Thomas Hasteler and his wife of Rawreth Hall and Burrells, 1527, Rebecca Listeny 1602 and Richard Hayes, 1600. C16 oak chest. Chancel screen, lower crenellated panels, later traceried head. Moulded 2 centred Chancel arch, moulded capitals and bases to chamfered jambs. Nave. 4 cant roof, carved arched collar braces on stone corbels. Moulded queen posts over. Chamfered splays to clerestorey windows. North aisle of 4 bays, moulded bases and capitals, bosses to the later octagonal columns, 2 centred arches. The former blocked south arcade similar but without bosses to capitals, is now the north wall. C19 octagonal pulpit. C19 octagonal font. 2 centred tower arch of 2 orders, the outer continuous, the inner to arch only, 2 centred arch to stair turret doorway. 2 bells. Probably early C14 by John of Hadham, one inscribed "Jam Tempus Est.: RCHM 1.

Listing NGR: TQ7806693430

External Links

• Wikidata Q26608165

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

• 
  Churches: An Architectural Guide (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Introductions)
• 
  Suffolk: West: The Buildings of England (Pevsner Architectural Guides) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Herefordshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Listed Buildings and Other Heritage Assets
• 
  Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990
• 
  Essex: Buildings of England Series (Buildings of England) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)