The Minster Church of St Nicholas in Great Yarmouth is the largest parish church in England by floor-surface area. It was founded in 1101 by Herbert de Losinga, the first Bishop of Norwich, and consecrated in 1119. It is cruciform, with a central tower, which may preserve a part of the original structure, although the form of the church has been changed by a number of alterations. The width of the nave is 26 feet (7.9 m), and the total length of the church is 236 feet (72 m). The church is the parish church of Great Yarmouth.
The church was designated as a Minster Church in December 2011 by the Bishop of Norwich. The church is not only used for religious services but is a hub for various other events, including choir shows, exhibitions and, during festivals and fayres, the church opens up to allow stalls and traders inside.
The building itself is located in the central area of Great Yarmouth, close to the house of Anna Sewell and is possibly the oldest building in the town. The Transitional clerestoried nave, with columns alternately octagonal and circular, was rebuilt in the reign of King John. A portion of the chancel is of the same date. About fifty years later the aisles were widened, so the nave is now the narrowest part of the building. There are two main areas of graveyard: one is the old yard, which is located directly behind the church, and one in the new yard, which stretches for about half a mile to the north.
Within the confines of the churchyard is the Priory school building. The school, now known as Priory Primary School, is now located in the town centre. The former school building, now called the Priory Centre, contains a café, support centre and information point.
A grand west front with towers and pinnacles was constructed between 1330 and 1338, but the building was interrupted by a plague. In the 16th century the ornamental brasses were cast into weights and the gravestones cut into grindstones. Within the church there were at one time 18 chapels, maintained by guilds or private families, but these were demolished by the Reformers, who sold the valuable utensils of the building and spent the money in widening the channel of the harbour.
During the Commonwealth the Independents appropriated the chancel, the Presbyterians the north aisle, and the Churchmen were allowed the remainder of the building. The brick walls erected at this time to separate the different portions of the building remained until 1847. In 1864 the tower was restored, and the east end of the chancel rebuilt; between 1869 and 1870 the south aisle was rebuilt; and in 1884 the south transept, the west end of the nave and the north aisle underwent restoration.
St Nicholas was bombed and nearly destroyed by fire during the Second World War. It was rebuilt and re-consecrated in 1961. During its reconstruction, the church temporarily used the building of St Peter's Church on St Peter's Road. When St Nicholas re-opened, St Peter's began to decline until the 1960s, when it was taken over for use by the growing Greek community, and in 1981 became St Spiridon's Greek Orthodox Church.
On 2 October 2011, it was announced by the Lord Bishop of Norwich Graham James that St. Nicholas was to be raised in status to a Minster Church. This event took place on 9 December 2011 during the town's Civic Carol Service and the church is now known as the Minster Church of St. Nicholas, Great Yarmouth.
On 13 October 2014 a memorial stone was unveiled to commemorate the 1981 Bristow Helicopters Westland Wessex crash, which resulted in the deaths of thirteen people.
The organ was obtained from St Mary the Boltons, West Brompton in 1960 to replace the organ destroyed in the bombing during the Second World War.
Parish church. Founded in association with a Benedictine Priory 1101 by Bishop Herbert de Losinga and completed in 1119.
The base of the tower is early C12, the remainder rebuilt in stages throughout C13. Derelict state in C17 and C18: north nave aisle removed 1705, replaced 1847 by JH Hakewill. East end rebuilt 1813 by PH Wyatt, again rebuilt and lengthened 1862 by JP Seddon. Further restorations in 1847, 1862 and 1889 (the last by JL Pearson). Fire-bombed in 1942 and gutted completely leaving only the external walls, most of which were by then C19, rebuilt 1957-60 by Stephen Dykes Bower.
Flint, mostly knapped, and ashlar dressings. Copper roof cladding.
PLAN: cruciform plan of nave, nave aisles, transepts with central tower, chancel and chancel aisles.
EXTERIOR: the west front presents 3 gables, the central one lit through 3 early C13 lancets over an arched and moulded doorway. Wide south aisle added c1250 showing 3 stepped lancets each with 2 Y-tracery lights and cusping of C19 design. Punched trefoils in the spandrels. Equally wide north aisle of 1847 lit through stepped lancets with Y-tracery. 4 polygonal turrets with C19 pinnacles. 8 nave aisle bays, the windows to the south side of 3 lights each of Geometric Decorated design. Gabled south porch with an arched and moulded doorway, corner pinnacles and flushwork panelling. Inside a 2-bay quadripartite rib-vault and an inner doorway with 3 orders of shafts carrying stiff-leaf capitals. Two 3-light flowing side windows.
The porch restored in 1991.
The north nave aisle has seven 3-light Perpendicular windows of C20 origin and a re-used C13 doorway with multiple roll mouldings and a string course carried over it. In the angle with the north transept is an altar tomb of 1851 protected by iron railings. 7-light transept windows with Decorated tracery; angle pinnacles again. The chancel has 3-light cusped north and south windows and a 5-light east window by JP Seddon. In the angles between the chancel and the transepts are various low C19 and C20 vestries.
The tower has an arcade of C12 arches, then a string course below round-arched windows lighting the ringing chamber. The belfry is almost all 1862, by Seddon: 3 tall lancets to each face, a punched parapet and corner pinnacles.
INTERIOR: 4-bay nave arcade entirely of 1957, in design and execution: rectangular piers with engaged shafts and fan capitals. Boarded nave and aisle roofs. The west end has an internal wall passage. Wide arches from the aisles into the transepts and 4 transept arches re-cased in C19. The chancel has 5 aisles (since 1960), the outer 2 aisles separated by a 4-bay octagonal arcade of 1960. Pitched boarded central roof, flat boarded aisle roofs. Chancel pulpitum with 2 arched C13 doors decorated with quatrefoils in the jambs and in the arch and with encircled quatrefoils in the spandrels.
Norman octagonal font with a 12-sided bowl with waterleaf decoration from Highway, Wiltshire. Simple nave pews from St George's, Yarmouth, 1714. Panelled pulpit also from St George's.