Description

RAWTENSTALL

255/6/174 CHURCH STREET
07-JUN-1971 NEWCHURCH
CHURCH OF ST NICHOLAS WITH ST JOHN

II*
Church. The 3rd on this site, dated 1825 over west door, with chancel added 1897 by RB Preston. Dressed sandstone. West tower, 7-bay 2-storey nave, 3-bay chancel. Embattled 3-stage tower has diagonal buttresses finished with gablets at 2nd stage, moulded arched west doorway with small niche over the apex, above this a lozenge-shaped tablet lettered GEO IV REX 1825, arched windows with hoodmoulds on west and south sides of 2nd stage, clockfaces above these, and on each side at top stage belfry louvres like the windows. At the south east corner a rectangular stair turret rises through the embracing roof of the nave to the embattled parapet which has corner pinnacles. Nave (partly embracing tower) has rusticated quoins, square windows with hoodmoulds, all of 2 arched lights with hollow chamfered mullions and surrounds, and hollow spandrels: one on each floor in the west gable wall, 7 on each floor at the sides, except ground floor of 1st bay which has arched doorway on south side, rectangular on north side. Chancel has clasping buttresses, set-back upper walls, with two arched 2-light windows to the south, 3 to the north side, and transomed 4-light east window.
INTERIOR. 3-sided gallery with Gothic panelling to front, supported by stout octagonal columns with splayed caps (probably surviving from 2nd church of 1561), above the gallery slimmer octagonal columns to 6-bay arcade. Bow-string boarded aisle roofs with tie beams which are moulded and have embattled tops. Boarded barrel-vaulted nave roof has large moulded and embattled tie beams and queen posts. High moulded chancel arch. Chancel has hammerbeam roof, Gothic carved wooden panelling, canopied sedilia and bishops throne, and very elaborate canopied choir stalls said to be copied from Whalley Abbey. Parts of former box pews, some with C18 dates and inscriptions, now form dado of aisles and panelling of vestry, some of latter dated 1708 and inscribed with names of Churchwardens. Chancel arch contains ex situ Rood formerly in Church of St. John, Bacup Road, Cloughfold (q.v.). On south wall of porch in tower is carved datestone of 2nd building bearing initials of Elizabeth I, date 1561, and Royal Arms of England including French fleur-de-lys.
The 1825 parts of this church are an unusual example of 'self-build' by the parishioners without an architect, the water-shot coursing of the stone being more usually associated with local farmbuildings. The special atmosphere is enhanced by rich fittings especially in the later chancel.

Listing NGR: SD8342822339

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• St Nicholas' Church, Newchurch at Wikipedia
• St Nicholas' Church, Newchurch official website
• Wikidata Q7594931

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

• 
  For the Record
• 
  Oxfordshire: North and West (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Warwickshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Old House Eco Handbook: A Practical Guide to Retrofitting for Energy-Efficiency & Sustainability
• 
  The green guide for historic buildings: how to improve the environmental performance of listed and historic buildings
• 
  The Listed Buildings and Other Principal Structures at the Royal Gunpowder Mills Waltham Abbey