St Nicolas Church, Portslade
Encyclopedia
St Nicolas Church is an Anglican
church in the Portslade
area of the English city of Brighton and Hove. It has 12th-century origins, and serves the old village of Portslade, inland from the mostly 19th-century Portslade-by-Sea area.
pottery has been found nearby and neighbouring Southwick
had a Roman villa
. A village began to develop in mediaeval times, and a manor house and church were built close to each other in the 12th century. As originally built, the church consisted of a chancel
, a nave
with an aisle
on the south side, and a square tower at the west end. The nave, aisle and part of the tower appear to have been built first, along with the typically Norman architectural feature
of twin pillars of Caen stone
; the chancel and the upper part of the tower were built in the early 13th century. The bell tower
, with battlement
s, was added at the top of the tower in the 14th century; the porch on the south side was added later, but probably by the 16th century.
Portslade was originally the most populous and important of the villages and parishes west of Brighton
, and St Nicolas Church never declined to a ruined state, unlike the churches at Hove
(St Andrew's), Aldrington
(St Leonard's
), Hangleton
(St Helen's
) or West Blatchington
(St Peter's
). However, the fabric of the church and its fixtures did decay gradually over time, and like many churches in Brighton and Hove it was altered and restored
during the Victorian era
. Medieval wall paintings were uncovered in the nave in 1847, but were whitewash
ed over and lost. The mural
depicted the Last Judgement; an illustrated article was subsequently written by the incumbent vicar for an archaeological journal, in which a date of 1440 was attributed to the painting. An aisle was added on the north side in 1849. In 1946, local stained glass
designers Cox & Barnard
made a small window which was installed in the church tower. It commemorates former verger
A.C. Wheatland and depicts the church's patron saint
.
The church roof was made of heavy stone slabs, and significant repair work had to be carried out in 1959: it was not only sagging in places, but had been displaced by 1 feet (30.5 cm) because of their weight—despite the support given by substantial wooden king post
s. For most of that year, a jack, anchored under the chancel arch, was used to gradually move the roof back into position. At the same time, a vestry
and a gallery for the organ
were added.
One of Portslade's most prominent families, the Brackenburys, had their family vault at the church, and between 1869 and 1874 the Brackenbury Chapel was built at its west end. Highly elaborate, in contrast to the simple church, it was built by Hannah Brackenbury
, who was buried there when she died in 1873. She was a benefactor to local causes and charities, and to Balliol College, Oxford
, where a debating society
and a building at the college entrance are named after her. She also donated land and money for the construction of the local primary school—a Gothic
building of 1872.
The church is a relatively plain, uncomplicated structure, similar in layout to many 12th- and 13th-century churches in Sussex. The chancel, with its chamfered
Norman
arch, leads to the three-bay
nave with aisles on the south and north sides. In the older south aisle, the piers
have capitals
decorated with a scallop
design. The 19th-century north aisle is similar but wider. Also in the chancel are a restored sedilia
, piscina
(both 13th-century, and on the south wall), pulpit
of stone, a modern altar
, and a reredos
and panelling dating from 1921. Most windows are lancets
; some date from the 13th century, and most contain plain glass. Two stained glass
windows depict St Francis of Assisi
and St Nicolas
. The east end windows consist of two tall, narrow lancets below a sexfoil (six-lobed window).
The Brackenbury Chapel is more ornate, featuring a three-pane lancet window with stained glass (including the family's coat of arms
), elaborately carved wood, stonework and black and green marble
. In the centre is a marble tomb
, and the walls—flanked by arcades
—feature memorial tablets to family members. The chapel is built of knapped flint, unlike the rest of the church which is pale rubble-work
. A partition links the chapel and the north aisle of the church.
The turreted tower, in three parts—the 12th-century base, the 13th-century upper section and the bell tower—is of coursed stone
rubble-work, rather than the random arrangement in the main walls of the church. It has no buttress
es.
Services are held daily, with two or three on Sundays.
St Andrew's Church was built on Church Road in Portslade-by-Sea between 1863 and 1864. It was designed by Brighton-based architect Edmund Scott. In 1898 it was given its own parish, but this has now been united with the parish of St Nicolas. The combined parish covers the whole of Portslade-by-Sea and Portslade Village, and extends some way on to the south face of the South Downs
. Services are held at St Andrew's on Sundays and Wednesdays.
Anglicanism
Anglicanism is a tradition within Christianity comprising churches with historical connections to the Church of England or similar beliefs, worship and church structures. The word Anglican originates in ecclesia anglicana, a medieval Latin phrase dating to at least 1246 that means the English...
church in the Portslade
Portslade
Portslade is the name of an area of the city of Brighton and Hove, England. Portslade Village, the original settlement a mile inland to the north, was built up in the 16th century...
area of the English city of Brighton and Hove. It has 12th-century origins, and serves the old village of Portslade, inland from the mostly 19th-century Portslade-by-Sea area.
History
A Roman road ran from north to south through the area which later became Portslade. There was no recorded Roman settlement, although Samian wareTerra sigillata
Terra sigillata is a term with at least three distinct meanings: as a description of medieval medicinal earth; in archaeology, as a general term for some of the fine red Ancient Roman pottery with glossy surface slips made in specific areas of the Roman Empire; and more recently, as a description...
pottery has been found nearby and neighbouring Southwick
Southwick, West Sussex
Southwick is a small town and civil parish in the Adur District of West Sussex, England located three miles west of Brighton and a suburb of the East Sussex resort City of Brighton & Hove...
had a Roman villa
Roman villa
A Roman villa is a villa that was built or lived in during the Roman republic and the Roman Empire. A villa was originally a Roman country house built for the upper class...
. A village began to develop in mediaeval times, and a manor house and church were built close to each other in the 12th century. As originally built, the church consisted of a chancel
Chancel
In church architecture, the chancel is the space around the altar in the sanctuary at the liturgical east end of a traditional Christian church building...
, a nave
Nave
In Romanesque and Gothic Christian abbey, cathedral basilica and church architecture, the nave is the central approach to the high altar, the main body of the church. "Nave" was probably suggested by the keel shape of its vaulting...
with an aisle
Aisle
An aisle is, in general, a space for walking with rows of seats on both sides or with rows of seats on one side and a wall on the other...
on the south side, and a square tower at the west end. The nave, aisle and part of the tower appear to have been built first, along with the typically Norman architectural feature
Norman architecture
About|Romanesque architecture, primarily English|other buildings in Normandy|Architecture of Normandy.File:Durham Cathedral. Nave by James Valentine c.1890.jpg|thumb|200px|The nave of Durham Cathedral demonstrates the characteristic round arched style, though use of shallow pointed arches above the...
of twin pillars of Caen stone
Caen stone
Caen stone or Pierre de Caen, is a light creamy-yellow Jurassic limestone quarried in northwestern France near the city of Caen.The limestone is a fine grained oolitic limestone formed in shallow water lagoons in the Bathonian Age about 167 million years ago...
; the chancel and the upper part of the tower were built in the early 13th century. The bell tower
Bell tower
A bell tower is a tower which contains one or more bells, or which is designed to hold bells, even if it has none. In the European tradition, such a tower most commonly serves as part of a church and contains church bells. When attached to a city hall or other civic building, especially in...
, with battlement
Battlement
A battlement in defensive architecture, such as that of city walls or castles, comprises a parapet , in which portions have been cut out at intervals to allow the discharge of arrows or other missiles. These cut-out portions form crenels...
s, was added at the top of the tower in the 14th century; the porch on the south side was added later, but probably by the 16th century.
Portslade was originally the most populous and important of the villages and parishes west of Brighton
Brighton
Brighton is the major part of the city of Brighton and Hove in East Sussex, England on the south coast of Great Britain...
, and St Nicolas Church never declined to a ruined state, unlike the churches at Hove
Hove
Hove is a town on the south coast of England, immediately to the west of its larger neighbour Brighton, with which it forms the unitary authority Brighton and Hove. It forms a single conurbation together with Brighton and some smaller towns and villages running along the coast...
(St Andrew's), Aldrington
Aldrington
Aldrington is the name of an area of the city of Brighton and Hove, previously part of the old borough of Hove. For centuries it was meadow land along the English Channel stretching west from the old village of Hove to the old mouth of the River Adur, and it is now a prosperous residential area...
(St Leonard's
St Leonard's Church, Aldrington
St Leonard's Church is an Anglican church in Hove, in the English city of Brighton and Hove. It is on New Church Road in the Aldrington area of Hove, which was previously a separate village, and it serves as Aldrington's parish church...
), Hangleton
Hangleton
Hangleton is an estate in west Hove, East Sussex. The estate was developed circa the late 1930s after the Dyke railway was closed.It contains both the oldest building in the city of Brighton and Hove, St Helen's Church, and the second oldest building: that which was Hangleton Manor and is now the...
(St Helen's
St Helen's Church, Hangleton
St Helen's Church, an Anglican church in the Hangleton area of Hove, is the oldest surviving building in the English city of Brighton and Hove. It is the ancient parish church of Hangleton—an isolated downland village which was abandoned by the Middle Ages and consisted of open farmland until the...
) or West Blatchington
West Blatchington
West Blatchington is an area in Hove, East Sussex, England.The area grew rapidly in the inter-war period, but unlike nearby Hangleton it had more infrastructure, with St Peter's Church, a working farm, a windmill and an industrial area grouped around the Goldstone Pumping Station and its workers'...
(St Peter's
St Peter's Church, West Blatchington
St Peter's Church is an Anglican church in the West Blatchington area of Hove, part of the English city of Brighton and Hove. Although it has 11th- and 12th-century origins, the church was rebuilt from a ruined state in the late 19th century and extended substantially in the 1960s, and little...
). However, the fabric of the church and its fixtures did decay gradually over time, and like many churches in Brighton and Hove it was altered and restored
Victorian restoration
Victorian restoration is the term commonly used to refer to the widespread and extensive refurbishment and rebuilding of Church of England churches and cathedrals that took place in England and Wales during the 19th-century reign of Queen Victoria...
during the Victorian era
Victorian era
The Victorian era of British history was the period of Queen Victoria's reign from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. It was a long period of peace, prosperity, refined sensibilities and national self-confidence...
. Medieval wall paintings were uncovered in the nave in 1847, but were whitewash
Whitewash
Whitewash, or calcimine, kalsomine, calsomine, or lime paint is a very low-cost type of paint made from slaked lime and chalk . Various other additives are also used...
ed over and lost. The mural
Mural
A mural is any piece of artwork painted or applied directly on a wall, ceiling or other large permanent surface. A particularly distinguishing characteristic of mural painting is that the architectural elements of the given space are harmoniously incorporated into the picture.-History:Murals of...
depicted the Last Judgement; an illustrated article was subsequently written by the incumbent vicar for an archaeological journal, in which a date of 1440 was attributed to the painting. An aisle was added on the north side in 1849. In 1946, local stained glass
Stained glass
The term stained glass can refer to coloured glass as a material or to works produced from it. Throughout its thousand-year history, the term has been applied almost exclusively to the windows of churches and other significant buildings...
designers Cox & Barnard
Cox & Barnard
Cox & Barnard Ltd is a stained glass designer and manufacturer based in Hove, part of the English city of Brighton and Hove. The company was founded in Hove in 1919 and specialises in stained glass for churches and decorative glass products. Many commissions have come from Anglican and Roman...
made a small window which was installed in the church tower. It commemorates former verger
Verger
A verger is a person, usually a layman, who assists in the ordering of religious services, particularly in Anglican churches.-History:...
A.C. Wheatland and depicts the church's patron saint
Saint Nicholas
Saint Nicholas , also called Nikolaos of Myra, was a historic 4th-century saint and Greek Bishop of Myra . Because of the many miracles attributed to his intercession, he is also known as Nikolaos the Wonderworker...
.
The church roof was made of heavy stone slabs, and significant repair work had to be carried out in 1959: it was not only sagging in places, but had been displaced by 1 feet (30.5 cm) because of their weight—despite the support given by substantial wooden king post
King post
A king post is a central vertical supporting post used in architectural, bridge, or aircraft design applications.-Architecture:...
s. For most of that year, a jack, anchored under the chancel arch, was used to gradually move the roof back into position. At the same time, a vestry
Vestry
A vestry is a room in or attached to a church or synagogue in which the vestments, vessels, records, etc., are kept , and in which the clergy and choir robe or don their vestments for divine service....
and a gallery for the organ
Organ (music)
The organ , is a keyboard instrument of one or more divisions, each played with its own keyboard operated either with the hands or with the feet. The organ is a relatively old musical instrument in the Western musical tradition, dating from the time of Ctesibius of Alexandria who is credited with...
were added.
One of Portslade's most prominent families, the Brackenburys, had their family vault at the church, and between 1869 and 1874 the Brackenbury Chapel was built at its west end. Highly elaborate, in contrast to the simple church, it was built by Hannah Brackenbury
Hannah Brackenbury
Hannah Brackenbury , English philanthropist, was the daughter of James B. Brackenbury, solicitor of Manchester, England. As the legal advisor of the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway Company at its formation James Brackenbury made a substantial fortune which was inherited by his only surviving...
, who was buried there when she died in 1873. She was a benefactor to local causes and charities, and to Balliol College, Oxford
Balliol College, Oxford
Balliol College , founded in 1263, is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England but founded by a family with strong Scottish connections....
, where a debating society
Debate
Debate or debating is a method of interactive and representational argument. Debate is a broader form of argument than logical argument, which only examines consistency from axiom, and factual argument, which only examines what is or isn't the case or rhetoric which is a technique of persuasion...
and a building at the college entrance are named after her. She also donated land and money for the construction of the local primary school—a Gothic
Gothic architecture
Gothic architecture is a style of architecture that flourished during the high and late medieval period. It evolved from Romanesque architecture and was succeeded by Renaissance architecture....
building of 1872.
Architecture
Chamfer
A chamfer is a beveled edge connecting two surfaces. If the surfaces are at right angles, the chamfer will typically be symmetrical at 45 degrees. A fillet is the rounding off of an interior corner. A rounding of an exterior corner is called a "round" or a "radius"."Chamfer" is a term commonly...
Norman
Norman architecture
About|Romanesque architecture, primarily English|other buildings in Normandy|Architecture of Normandy.File:Durham Cathedral. Nave by James Valentine c.1890.jpg|thumb|200px|The nave of Durham Cathedral demonstrates the characteristic round arched style, though use of shallow pointed arches above the...
arch, leads to the three-bay
Bay (architecture)
A bay is a unit of form in architecture. This unit is defined as the zone between the outer edges of an engaged column, pilaster, or post; or within a window frame, doorframe, or vertical 'bas relief' wall form.-Defining elements:...
nave with aisles on the south and north sides. In the older south aisle, the piers
Pier (architecture)
In architecture, a pier is an upright support for a superstructure, such as an arch or bridge. Sections of wall between openings function as piers. The simplest cross section of the pier is square, or rectangular, although other shapes are also common, such as the richly articulated piers of Donato...
have capitals
Capital (architecture)
In architecture the capital forms the topmost member of a column . It mediates between the column and the load thrusting down upon it, broadening the area of the column's supporting surface...
decorated with a scallop
Scallop
A scallop is a marine bivalve mollusk of the family Pectinidae. Scallops are a cosmopolitan family, found in all of the world's oceans. Many scallops are highly prized as a food source...
design. The 19th-century north aisle is similar but wider. Also in the chancel are a restored sedilia
Sedilia
Sedilia , in ecclesiastical architecture, is the term used to describe stone seats, usually to be found on the south side of an altar, often in the chancel, for the use of the officiating priests...
, piscina
Piscina
A piscina is a shallow basin placed near the altar of a church, used for washing the communion vessels. The sacrarium is the drain itself. Anglicans usually refer to the basin, calling it a piscina. Roman Catholics usually refer to the drain, and by extension, the basin, as the sacrarium...
(both 13th-century, and on the south wall), pulpit
Pulpit
Pulpit is a speakers' stand in a church. In many Christian churches, there are two speakers' stands at the front of the church. Typically, the one on the left is called the pulpit...
of stone, a modern altar
Altar
An altar is any structure upon which offerings such as sacrifices are made for religious purposes. Altars are usually found at shrines, and they can be located in temples, churches and other places of worship...
, and a reredos
Reredos
thumb|300px|right|An altar and reredos from [[St. Josaphat's Roman Catholic Church|St. Josaphat Catholic Church]] in [[Detroit]], [[Michigan]]. This would be called a [[retable]] in many other languages and countries....
and panelling dating from 1921. Most windows are lancets
Lancet window
A lancet window is a tall narrow window with a pointed arch at its top. It acquired the "lancet" name from its resemblance to a lance. Instances of this architectural motif are most often found in Gothic and ecclesiastical structures, where they are often placed singly or in pairs.The motif first...
; some date from the 13th century, and most contain plain glass. Two stained glass
Stained glass
The term stained glass can refer to coloured glass as a material or to works produced from it. Throughout its thousand-year history, the term has been applied almost exclusively to the windows of churches and other significant buildings...
windows depict St Francis of Assisi
Francis of Assisi
Saint Francis of Assisi was an Italian Catholic friar and preacher. He founded the men's Franciscan Order, the women’s Order of St. Clare, and the lay Third Order of Saint Francis. St...
and St Nicolas
Saint Nicholas
Saint Nicholas , also called Nikolaos of Myra, was a historic 4th-century saint and Greek Bishop of Myra . Because of the many miracles attributed to his intercession, he is also known as Nikolaos the Wonderworker...
. The east end windows consist of two tall, narrow lancets below a sexfoil (six-lobed window).
The Brackenbury Chapel is more ornate, featuring a three-pane lancet window with stained glass (including the family's coat of arms
Coat of arms
A coat of arms is a unique heraldic design on a shield or escutcheon or on a surcoat or tabard used to cover and protect armour and to identify the wearer. Thus the term is often stated as "coat-armour", because it was anciently displayed on the front of a coat of cloth...
), elaborately carved wood, stonework and black and green marble
Marble
Marble is a metamorphic rock composed of recrystallized carbonate minerals, most commonly calcite or dolomite.Geologists use the term "marble" to refer to metamorphosed limestone; however stonemasons use the term more broadly to encompass unmetamorphosed limestone.Marble is commonly used for...
. In the centre is a marble tomb
Tomb
A tomb is a repository for the remains of the dead. It is generally any structurally enclosed interment space or burial chamber, of varying sizes...
, and the walls—flanked by arcades
Arcade (architecture)
An arcade is a succession of arches, each counterthrusting the next, supported by columns or piers or a covered walk enclosed by a line of such arches on one or both sides. In warmer or wet climates, exterior arcades provide shelter for pedestrians....
—feature memorial tablets to family members. The chapel is built of knapped flint, unlike the rest of the church which is pale rubble-work
Rubble
Rubble is broken stone, of irregular size, shape and texture. This word is closely connected in derivation with "rubbish", which was formerly also applied to what we now call "rubble". Rubble naturally found in the soil is known also as brash...
. A partition links the chapel and the north aisle of the church.
The turreted tower, in three parts—the 12th-century base, the 13th-century upper section and the bell tower—is of coursed stone
Course (architecture)
A course is a continuous horizontal layer of similarly-sized building material one unit high, usually in a wall. The term is almost always used in conjunction with unit masonry such as brick, cut stone, or concrete masonry units .-Styles:...
rubble-work, rather than the random arrangement in the main walls of the church. It has no buttress
Buttress
A buttress is an architectural structure built against or projecting from a wall which serves to support or reinforce the wall...
es.
The church today
The church was listed at Grade II* on 19 July 1950. As of February 2001, it was one of 70 Grade II*-listed buildings and structures, and 1,218 listed buildings of all grades, in the city of Brighton and Hove.Services are held daily, with two or three on Sundays.
St Andrew's Church was built on Church Road in Portslade-by-Sea between 1863 and 1864. It was designed by Brighton-based architect Edmund Scott. In 1898 it was given its own parish, but this has now been united with the parish of St Nicolas. The combined parish covers the whole of Portslade-by-Sea and Portslade Village, and extends some way on to the south face of the South Downs
South Downs
The South Downs is a range of chalk hills that extends for about across the south-eastern coastal counties of England from the Itchen Valley of Hampshire in the west to Beachy Head, near Eastbourne, East Sussex, in the east. It is bounded on its northern side by a steep escarpment, from whose...
. Services are held at St Andrew's on Sundays and Wednesdays.