28814
The Grade I Listed St Nicholas' Church, Kenilworth, Warwickshire.
The church is example of an English parish church in Perpendicular style with Tudor alterations, in the handsome red sandstone of the region. It sits right beside the Norman and medieval ruins of St Mary's Abbey, over which a large part of its graveyard now lies.
The earliest reference to a parish church on the site, though, as distinct from the church of St Mary's priory, is from Pope Nicholas' taxation records of 1291. The substantial tower and the north and south aisles were added in the 14th century. The original nave roof, lowered in 1580, was at a higher pitch than that which can be seen today; the line of the earlier roof can still be seen as a scar on the eastern face of the tower. The chancel roof was taken down and relaid in 1692 under the auspices of the then vicar, William Best, at a cost of £80. Raised galleries were erected in both of the nave aisles in the middle of the 18th century to accommodate the large congregations of the time.
As with so many English parish churches, the reign of Queen Victoria saw many changes: in 1865, under Reverend Bickmore, St Nicholas' was thoroughly restored. The nave galleries were taken down in 1876, the same year that the roof timbers were exposed by the removal of the church's flat ceilings. It was also in the 19th century that the north and south transepts were built, the clergy vestry was added, and the south wall of the chancel was pierced to create a chancel aisle (refurnished in 1932 as the Lady Chapel). The sandstone spire was entirely rebuilt after a lightning strike in 1858.
28814
The Grade I Listed St Nicholas' Church, Kenilworth, Warwickshire.
The church is example of an English parish church in Perpendicular style with Tudor alterations, in the handsome red sandstone of the region. It sits right beside the Norman and medieval ruins of St Mary's Abbey, over which a large part of its graveyard now lies.
The earliest reference to a parish church on the site, though, as distinct from the church of St Mary's priory, is from Pope Nicholas' taxation records of 1291. The substantial tower and the north and south aisles were added in the 14th century. The original nave roof, lowered in 1580, was at a higher pitch than that which can be seen today; the line of the earlier roof can still be seen as a scar on the eastern face of the tower. The chancel roof was taken down and relaid in 1692 under the auspices of the then vicar, William Best, at a cost of £80. Raised galleries were erected in both of the nave aisles in the middle of the 18th century to accommodate the large congregations of the time.
As with so many English parish churches, the reign of Queen Victoria saw many changes: in 1865, under Reverend Bickmore, St Nicholas' was thoroughly restored. The nave galleries were taken down in 1876, the same year that the roof timbers were exposed by the removal of the church's flat ceilings. It was also in the 19th century that the north and south transepts were built, the clergy vestry was added, and the south wall of the chancel was pierced to create a chancel aisle (refurnished in 1932 as the Lady Chapel). The sandstone spire was entirely rebuilt after a lightning strike in 1858.