Saturday, 7 October 2017

St Nicholas Newbury



St Nicolas is a church I have visited in the past for photos but always found shut when I went. Finally one Friday I went along to Newbury with my wife and while she was shopping I popped in for some photos of the church. Some history from Wikipedia.
"St. Nicolas Church is dedicated to the eponymous Bishop of Myra in the fourth century. A church was first built in this spot during Norman times, and it is mentioned in a document of 1086 in which Ernulf of Hesding gives the church of the Abbey of Préaux.
The present parish church was entirely rebuilt, probably between the years 1509-1533. It is in the architectural style of the late Perpendicular period. The presence of certain devices in the stonework, in particular the pomegranate device (the apple of Grenada) and the portcullis device (which appears on the Tudor royal Escutcheon) indicates that the church was built during the marriage of Henry VIII and Catherine of Aragon, which ended in divorce during 1533.
In Fuller's "History of the Worthies of England", published in 1663, it is stated: "John Winchcombe, commonly called Jack of Newberry... built the church of Newberry, from the pulpit westward to the tower inclusively, and died about the year 1520".
Although the church was extensively restored by the Victorians, they made no major structural alterations."
I have decided to show the church in two parts with the internals next week as it has some amazing stained glass





One of the two entrances like this off St Bartholomew Street

The view along the path from the second entrance

Seat along the South side wall























Above the side door to the chapel and entrance porch

 The west entrance and bell tower

The West end with North & South Aisles























View of the tower on the South side and porch

Another shot of the South side





The east end where a few memorials on the wall can be seen




The East end of the Chancel and North Aisle





The churchyard on the South side



These headstones are on the other side of a footpath that runs through the churchyard





it forms part of a older area



though one part has been made into a garden of remembrance




Around the East end of the church you will see th emost tombs ard graves




One of the chest tombs




All these were in prominent places to show the importance of who was buried here




This one had the inscription still readable




Along the North side are more though I fear more are in the overgrown part to the riht
I will leave you with this view of the church with the impressive vault in the foreground
Click on the link to see Part Two
Have a wonderful weekend


9 comments:

Jenny Woolf said...

I have so often been in Newbury and find it hard to credit how I never thought of going in. I suppose I was always busy with everyday tasks

Jim said...

Great shots

Jaśmin said...

Very interesting church.
Yours:)*

Tom said...

...Bill, I always enjoy the gates, something that I never see here.

Billy Blue Eyes said...

You should, it worth looking around as the next blog will show

Billy Blue Eyes said...

Cheers Jim

Billy Blue Eyes said...

It is when you see it inside

Billy Blue Eyes said...

Theses are unusual in a church, most have simpler ones

Linda P said...

What an amazing stone entrance off St. Bartholomew Street and apparently there are two of them! That would surely draw in a visitor. Perhaps one day I'll visit myself. That side door into a chapel that cuts into a large stained glass window is intriguing. Thank you for the notes as they add an extra bit of information to a book I'm reading about Tudor buildings.