Description

WITHERNSEA PARK AVENUE
TA 32 NW
(north side, off)
4/95 Church of St Nicholas
- II *

Parish church. Mid C15, completed 1488, with minor C16-C17 alterations;
extensive restorations of 1858 included rebuilding north aisle and south
porch, partial rebuilding of south aisle and nave, re-roofing, re-flooring,
renewal of all window tracery, new tower parapet, new vestry. Nave, south
aisle and lower section of tower in random and roughly-coursed cobbles;
upper section of tower in coursed cobbles with ashlar bands, north aisle and
porch in coursed split black cobbles with ashlar bands, chancel of limestone
ashlar. Ashlar dressings throughout. Welsh slate roof. West tower, 4-bay
aisled nave with south porch, 2-bay chancel with vestry adjoining north
side. Moulded plinth. 2-stage tower has diagonal buttresses with offsets
to tall first stage, clasping buttresses to top stage. First stage: pointed
3-light west window with Perpendicular tracery and original hoodmould.
Small square-headed window above, moulded string course. Stepped-in second
stage: pointed 2-light cinquefoiled Y-traceried belfry openings with C19
clock faces; moulded string course, coped embattled ashlar parapet with
cobbled trefoiled panels. North aisle: angle and mid buttresses, restored
pointed double hollow-chamfered door and square-headed 3-light cinquefoiled
windows. South aisle: diagonal buttresses, similar square-headed 3-light
windows. Nave: quoins, three 4-centred-arch 2-light trefoiled clerestory
windows, corbel table of plain moulded corbels with spouts, shaped kneelers.
Chancel: angle and mid buttresses, pointed 3-light windows with
Perpendicular tracery, coped embattled parapet, crocketed pinnacles.
Vestry: quoins, pointed 3-light east window with Perpendicular tracery.
Porch: chamfered plinth, quoins, pointed moulded outer arch, triangular-
headed side windows, restored pointed moulded inner arch with paterae.
Interior. Pointed triple-chamfered tower arch with double-chamfered
responds and plain moulded capitals and bases. Nave arcades of pointed
double-chamfered arches on octagonal piers with plain moulded capitals and
bases, octagonal west responds and corbelled east responds with carved
lion's head to north, angel holding shield to south. Pointed double-
chamfered chancel arch on similar corbelled responds with angels holding
shields. Chancel has C19 pointed vestry door and arch to organ chamber.
Many ashlar dressings bear signs of weathering; most were re-cut in C19.
Painted 5-bay arch-braced chancel roof with carved bosses and angels holding
shields; 3-bay queen-post nave roof with carved wooden head corbels. Grave
slab to William Copland of 1491 with Gothic Latin border inscription, re-set
in porch in 1858 from former position in central nave aisle. A church at
Withernsea and one at nearby Owthorne (now lost to the sea), were said to
have been built in the C13. The church lost its roof in 1609 and lay
derelict until 1858. The arcades are similar to those at the contemporary
Church of St Helen, Skeffling (qv). Photographs of church prior to
restoration hanging in nave at time of resurvey. N Pevsner, the Buildings of
England: Yorkshire, East Riding, 1972, p 372; Victoria County History: York, East
Riding, vol 5, 1984, p 166.

Listing NGR: TA3424927666

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Wikidata Q17555414

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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