The Church Bells in Gloucestershire website tells us:
The church became redundant in 1975 and the bells are now virtually unringable,. The frame is a 18th century wooden frame, partially supported from underneath by another huge timber structure in the ringing chamber. The bells are loud, fairly well in tune, but drop like stones. It is interesting to note that the 2nd and 3rd were cast by the same founder and in the same year as the 4th and 5th at S.Mary de Lode.
John Baker, Hereford, 1608, 4.25 cwt
Roger Purdue, Bristol, 1636, 6 cwt
Roger Purdue, Bristol, 1636, 7 cwt
Robert Hendley, Bristol 15th C, 9-1-23
Bristol Foundry, 15th C, 10.5 cwt
Abraham Rudhall II, Gloucester, 1725, 14.5 cwt in G
The Visit Churches website tells us about St Nicholas church:
This Medieval church was built for merchant traders beside Gloucester’s (now vanished) west gate.
The church is a city landmark, known for its leaning, truncated white stone spire. Damage was caused to the spire by a direct hit by Royalist troops during the Siege of Gloucester in 1643 – and it is now topped with an attractive coronet.
The existing church dates back to the 12th century, though most of it was rebuilt in the 13th and larger windows were added later.
Formerly one of Gloucester’s most prosperous parish churches many of its wonderful monuments and memorial slabs commemorate significant citizens, some showing figures in glorious Stuart costume. Most important is the altar tomb of Alderman John Wallton (died 1626) and his wife Alice.
On either side of the chancel are 16th century squints, giving the congregation a view of the sanctuary and there is an unusual Royal Arms above the south doorway that references not one but three monarchs - George I, George II and Charles II.
The Britain Express website adds:
A 12th century church in the cente of historic Gloucester. St Nicholas' was rebuilt in the 13th century and the wonderful west tower was added in the mid 15th century. The tower is a real local landmark with its distinctive spire. The spire was hit by cannon fire in the Civil War siege of Gloucester in 1643, and it was lowered and topped with a lead cap in 1783 to produce the current oddly truncated look.
The church was first recorded in 1180 and stood near the old west gates of the city (now vanished). It was known as 'St Nicholas of the bridge of Gloucester', and belonged to the crown, which suggests that it was founded by a monarch. It seems that existing Saxon burgage plots were cleared to make room for the church, which explains why it appears cramped for space and so well aligned with the street frontage. The churchyard behind the church itself perfectly aligns with the boundarioes of earlier Saxon burgage plots.
It probably sprung up at the same time as Westgate Bridge was ercted, around 1119, to serve the growing population of Gloucester. In 1229 the church was given to St Bartholomew's Hospital, and church and hospital maintained a close relationship throughout the medieval period. It was later granted to the City Corporation (essentially the city government) and until 1870 the Corporation of Gloucester had the living.
You enter through the north door, which still has its original Norman tympanum, depicting the Agnus Dei (lamb of God). The interior is a reminder of Gloucester's prosperous past, with glorious vaulting in the tower, and a plethora of historic funerary monuments to prominent city merchants. During the medieval period several chantries were established within the church, including one to Thomas of Cantebury and another to St Mary. In addition there were three side altars, so you can get the idea that this was a very busy, very prosperous church, perfectly in tune with Gloucester's prosperity during the medieval period from the wool and shipping trades. The most impressive tomb is that of John Walton (d. 1626), a goldsmith, former city alderman, and Sheriff of Gloucester, whose elaborate memorial is in the Chantry Chapel of St Mary. Walton wears his red robes of office while his wife Alice has a marvellous broad-rimmed hat.
There are squints on both sides of the chancel arch, allowing the congregation to view the high altar from the sides of the nave. These had to be inserted in the 16th century when St Nicholas church became extremely popular and was crowded during services.
One unusual feature is that the church leans at a very noticeable angle. Perhaps the best place to appreciate the awkward angle at which the building finds itself is simple to stand at one end of the nave and look straight ahead.
There is one ancient treasure that you cannot find at St Nicholas; that is the 14th century sanctuary knocker that once adorned the south door. This large knocker was made of brass and depicted the head and part of the body of an odd serpent-like creature with the head of an old woman on its back. The sanctuary knocker is on display in the City Museum.
The church is Grade I listed with the entry at the English Heritage website telling us:
Parish church, redundant since 1971. The early C12 church largely rebuilt in C13 retaining some features; C14 alterations, early to mid C15 alterations and west tower and spire added, north-east vestry extended in C16 and C17; the spire reduced in height and capped 1783 by John Bryan; restored 1865 by John Jaques and Son, repaired following a fire 1901, the west tower stabilized 1927, the north aisle rebuilt and the church re-roofed 1935-38. Vested in the Redundant Churches Fund 1975 and programme of repairs commenced. Limestone ashlar, stone rubble, gabled slate roofs.
PLAN: imposing west tower and spire, nave of six bays, on the south side of the nave towards the west end a deep porch with an upper room, from the third to the sixth bays and against the first bay of the chancel a wide south aisle with a small porch to the priest's door towards the east end; on the north side a porch against the side of the west tower and from the first to fifth bays of the nave an aisle with a wider transeptal chapel off the east bay of the nave; two-bay chancel continuous with the nave, with a vestry on the north side.
EXTERIOR: mid C15 west tower of three stages defined by moulded string courses, diagonal corner buttresses with offsets rising to the top of the second stage and small panelled buttresses to the third stage, an embattled parapet with pierced tracery panels and corner pinnacles, restored 1993-4; in the first stage of the tower in each outer face a tall three-light window with hoodmould, in the second in each face a three-light window with upper transom and ogee arched head with flanking crocketed pinnacles, and in the third stage in each face a two-light arched window flanked by arched niches, all under crocketed ogee gablets with flanking pinnacles, all the windows with Perpendicular tracery; inset on the tower an octagonal, stone spire with a pinnacle attached to each diagonal face and on each cardinal face a two-light lucarne under a tall ogee crocketed gablet, the apex of the spire removed above a pinnacle coronet and replaced by a lead ogee cap with ball finial; fixed onto the south side of the tower in 1716 a large bracket clock. On the south side of nave the gabled south porch with upper room, added 1347 and rebuilt mid C19, with arched entrance doorway and iron gates; within the porch the C12 arched doorway with nook shafts and tympanum carved in relief with an Agnus Dei and foliage. The five bays of the end-gabled south side of the nave defined by buttresses with two offsets rising to the underside of a continuous corbel table, and in each bay a large three-light window in a C13 opening, the moulded shafts to the jambs with moulded capitals and bases, and with a moulded semicircular arched head; in C15 the windows remodelled and Perpendicular tracery inserted, in C19 the window in the west bay restored to C13 design, a similar C13 window in the east end of the aisle is infilled with C14 Decorated tracery. In the north aisle C14 and C16 windows; in the gabled east wall of the chancel a C15 five-light window with Perpendicular tracery.
INTERIOR: within the tower a lierne vault, and above in the belfrey stage a C15 timber bell frame. In the north arcade of the nave the west bay has a pointed arch, the next two bays are early C12 with thick cylindrical columns and round arches, and the three eastern bays are early C13 with pointed arches on cylindrical columns, the two eastern columns with stiff-leaf capitals, the four-bay south arcade also early C13 and has cylindrical columns with stiff-leaf capitals; over the nave a C19 open timber roof of five bays with four king-post trusses and an arch braced truss between nave and chancel, the trusses supported on carved stone corbels; in the chancel in the north and south walls early C16 squints inserted for viewing the altar from the aisles, in the south wall a large piscina and credence, and encaustic tile paving.
FITTINGS: include at the east end of the south aisle the richly moulded, panelled timber front of the former west gallery installed in 1621 and removed in 1924 from within the lower stage of the tower; above the south doorway the arms of Charles II, otherwise C19 fittings.
MONUMENTS: include at the east end of the south aisle chest tomb with robustly sculpted and coloured effigies of Alderman John Walton and wife, d.1626, the front of the chest with two kneeling figures framed in arched panels set behind and pairs of Ionic columns, restored 1980: in the chancel a half length portrait effigy of Revd. Richard Green, d.1711, in academic dress; many memorial tablets and ledgers. The decorative C14 bronze closing ring formerly on the south door is now in the Gloucester City Museum.