Church of St Nicholas, Leeds, Kent

Description

LEEDS LOWER STREET
TQ 8253 (east side)

8/84 Church of St. Nicholas
26.4.68.
GV I
Parish church. C11, C12, C13, C14, C15 and C16; restored 1879.
Ragstone and tufa with plain tile roof. West tower, nave with
north and south aisles, south porch, chancel with north and
south chapels terminating short of east end of chancel. West tower:
Early C12, large squat, plinthless and battlemented, of 2 stages,
with pilaster buttresses and tufa quoins and dressings. Short
wooden spire erected 1963; reference to spire from 1492. Round-
headed north and south windows to second stage and 2 west
lancets to lower stage. Pointed-arched and shifted C13 sandstone
west doorway set in round-arched tufa-dressed opening. Studded
door with moulded stoup to north side. South aisle: possibly C12
walls with tufa to lower quoins, otherwise C14, with C19 alterations.
Plinthless, with roll-and-hollow moulded cornice and stone-coped
ashlar parapet. Lean-to roof. Buttress and canted south-east rood-
stair loft stair turret. 2-largely C19 south windows in C14 style.
South porch: C19 in C13 style. Pointed arched inner door with
moulded architrave and hood mould. Ribbed and studded Medieval door.
South Chapel: C14, with remains of moulded plinth. Stone quoins,
but tufa fragments in walls. Gabled roof. C15 three-light south
window in moulded stone architrave with rectangular, possibly C19,
door immediately below. C15 east window, with tufa relieving arch
below. Chancel: probably rebuilt in C16. On shallow moulded plinth
with single-light round-headed north and south windows with rectangular
dripmoulds. Cuspless east window. North chapel: late C15, on
moulded plinth with roll-and-hollow cornice and stone-coped ashlar
parapet. One C15 three-light east and one north window. Gabled roof.
Projects slightly north of north aisle. West buttress. North aisle:
C12. Plinthless, with cornice and parapet similar to south aisle and
north chapel. Stone quoins. 3 north buttresses 2 two-light and
quatrefoiled north windows with hoodmoulds, one with heads to label
stops. 2 very small blocked north lancets with tufa dressings, rebated
to outside and deeply splayed to much larger three-centred arched inner
architraves. Small blocked rectangular window to west end of north
elevation, with hollow-chamfered jambs and iron grille. Small west
lancet with tufa dressings, set higher, with later stone inner archi-
trave and leaded light. Interior: Structure: partly restored early
C12 tower arch; 3 orders to each side with plain round-headed arches
and fat roll either side of inner order. Cushion capitals to all but
outer order. 3-bay C15 north and south nave arcades; hollow-chamfered
octagonal piers with moulded capitals and bases, (the latter somewhat
irregular) and arches of 2 hollow chamfers with cove between. C15 chancel
arch and west arches to chancel chapels, each of 2 hollow chamfers, inner
order springing from corbelled imposts. Single arch between chancel
and each chapel, each with 2 hollow chamfers and attached columns,
those to north round, those to south semi-octagonal; moulded capitals
and bases. 2-centred arched doorway with hollow chamfer and broach
stops to rood-loft stair turret, with cill about 4' above ground.
2 short blocked Saxon windows with eliptical heads high up in north
wall of north arcade. C15 three-light squint between north chapel and
chancel, with hollow-chamfered mullions, three-centred arched heads and
hollow spandrels. Plain squint between south chapel and chancel
behind sedilia. Roof: Nave has 6 plain, chamfered crown-posts with
4 curved upward braces and straight chamfered tie-beams.
Ashlar-pieces and moulded cornice. Pendant posts arch-braced to
cornice with C20 traceried spandrels. South chapel has one
octagonal crown-post with moulded capital, square moulded base
and 4 squat upward braces. Chancel roof barrel-vaulted with
moulded members and central boss. Fittings: 3-seat sedilia
in south wall of chancel with 4 slender off-set buttresses and
moulded cornice, cuspless and possibly C16. Pillar piscina to
south wall of chancel. Moulded opening, probably for piscina,
in south wall of north aisle. Cusped ogee-headed piscina to south
wall of south chapel and by south aisle door. Plain octagonal stone font.
C15 eleven-bay rood-screen across east end of nave and both
aisles, with finely-cusped tracery. Slender attached columns
between bays with moulded capitals providing springing for intri-
cately carved C19 fan vault and corniced walkway. Woodwork of
3 of bays split to form double doorways to north and south chapels
and chancel. Partly restored C15 parclose screen to each chapel.
North chapel screen provides front for C17 pew with lozenge panelling
and carved frieze. C17 staircase with turned balusters against
north wall of tower, leading to bell chamber. Brass chandelier
in nave dated 1778. Monuments: 2 small early C16 brasses to centre
of nave, one to William Merden, d. 1509, the other to Katherine
Lambe, d. 1514. Marble wall tablet on south wall of south chapel
to Sr. Roger Meredith, Baronet, d. 1738. Erected after 1742.
By Palmer,with ionic columns flanked by elongated scrolls, with
moulded cornice and open-topped segmental pediment with urn. Large
standing wall monument on north wall of north chapel to the Rt.
Hono'ble Jane Countess Dowager of Carbery, d. 1643, erected after
death of son, Sir William Meredith, d. 1675. In black and white
marble, with elongated scrolls, ionic capitals, bolection moulding
to tablets, large coat of arms with achievements breaking through open-
topped segmental pediment and surmounted by imposing vase. Wall
monument on north wall of north chapel to Henry Meredith Esq., d. 1710,
erected at direction of daughter, d. 1758. Marble tablet with 2
cherubs, urn and broken-base triangular pediment, following a design
in Gibb's Book of Architecture, 1728, p. 123 (J. Newman, Buildings
of England Series, West Kent and the Weald, 1980).

Listing NGR: TQ8253753335

External Links

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British Listed Buildings

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Church of St Nicholas

A Grade I Listed Building in Leeds, Kent

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