Church of St Nicholas, Saintbury

The Anglican Church of St Nicholas at Saintbury in the Cotswold District of Gloucestershire, England was built in the 13th century. It is a grade I listed building.[1]

Church of St Nicholas
Church of St Nicholas
DenominationChurch of England
Architecture
Heritage designationGrade I listed building
Designated25 August 1960
Administration
DioceseGloucester
ProvinceCanterbury

History

Parts of the current building, including the nave, north transept and tower, date from the 13th century but some aspects, such as the Norman south door with tympanum, provide evidence of an earlier church on the site.[2][1] The north door is also Norman and above it is a circular Anglo-Saxon tide dial.[2][3] The chancel was added in the 14th century.[1]

The last service was held in the church in 2009 and it is now in the care of the Churches Conservation Trust.[4][5] The lead from the roof was stolen in 2017.[4]

Architecture

The limestone building has stone slate roofs.[1] It consists of a nave which a north transept and porch, chancel and tower.[1] The spire above the tower can be seen for miles on the Cotswold escarpment.[6]

A stone carving on the wall of the church has been suggested to be a Sheela na gig.[5][7]

The interior includes box pews and wall paintings, with some Arts and Crafts features, by Ernest Gimson, Alec Miller and Charles Robert Ashbee, which were added in the early 20th century.[4][6] The octagonal font and altar rails are from the 15th or 16th century.[2][1] The double piscina is thought to date from the reign of Edward I.[2] The wall paintings depicting passages from the King James Bible date from 1634.[2]

See also

References
  1. "Church of St. Nicholas". National Heritage List for England. Historic England. Archived from the original on 25 February 2017. Retrieved 9 December 2020.
  2. Ross, David. "Saintbury, St Nicholas Church". Britain Express. Archived from the original on 20 September 2020. Retrieved 9 December 2020.
  3. Lees, Hilary (1998). Porch and pew: Small churches of the Cotswolds. Walnut Tree. p. 9. ISBN 978-0948251924.
  4. "St Nicholas' Church, Saintbury, Gloucestershire". Churches Conservation Trust. Archived from the original on 30 October 2020. Retrieved 9 December 2020.
  5. "Saintbury Village and St Nicholas' Church near to Willersey". Willersey. Archived from the original on 29 December 2019. Retrieved 9 December 2020.
  6. Verey, David (2007). Cotswold Churches. The History Press. pp. 172–173. ISBN 978-1845880286.
  7. "Saintbury". The Sheela Na Gig Project. Archived from the original on 19 September 2019. Retrieved 9 December 2020.
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