"The church of ST. NICHOLAS consists of chancel 36 ft. 8 in. by 18 ft., clearstoried nave 59 ft. by 19 ft., north and south aisles about 11 ft. wide, south porch, and west tower 9 ft. 8 in. square, all these measurements being internal. The tower is surmounted by a broach spire. The porch was rebuilt in 1851, and a vestry was added on the north side of the chancel in 1855. There was a general restoration of the interior in 1866.
The roofs are all of flat pitch and leaded, and there are plain moulded parapets to the chancel: elsewhere the lead overhangs. Internally the plaster has been stripped from the walls.
The earliest part of the building is the south doorway, which is of 12th-century date, with semicircular arch of two cheveron-moulded orders on plain chamfered imposts, and octagonal angle shafts with cushion capitals and moulded bases to the outer order. On the inner order the cheveron, which is enriched with pellets, is on the face of the arch only and is continued below the imposts to the ground, but on the outer order, where it is without enrichment, the cheveron covers both the soffit and wall planes. The doorway is not in its original position, but belonged to an earlier structure from which the present building has developed.
The architectural history of the church is not very clear, but the pilaster buttress north of the tower, which seems originally to have been a clasping buttress, probably marked the north-west angle of the 12thcentury nave, originally aiseless, but to which a north aisle of three bays may have been added before the close of the century. The extent of the nave eastward is indicated by the piece of wall, about 5 ft. in length, left standing in the present north arcade, which marks the position of the chancel arch, the original chancel being within the east bay of the present nave. In the 13th century, a new chancel was built further east, with a north chapel at its west end, the existence of which is shown by a moulded corbel, enriched with nail-head, now exposed in the wall at the internal north-west angle, just east of the existing chancel arch. The east wall of the chancel, which is of rubble, is still substantially of 13th-century date, with chamfered plinth, short buttress below the window and clasping buttress at the south-east angle. The north-east buttress, originally of the same character, was altered at a later period. Assuming that a north aisle already existed, it seems likely that the intention was now to extend it eastward so as to join it up to the chancel chapel, the old north chancel wall having no doubt been set back in line with the arcade, but this may not have been done until later. About 1280–90 an entire rebuilding of the nave seems to have been contemplated, including a west tower: the old chancel arch had probably been taken down earlier and the south wall of the former chancel set back on the line of the unpierced south wall of the 12th-century nave, and from the south-east angle of the thus extended nave a new south aisle was set out in four regular bays. The aisle determined the position of the tower, which thus encroached on the west end of the original nave, but the whole design, for some reason or other, was modified, and though the north arcade and aisle were reconstructed somewhat later, c. 1300– 10, the spacing of the old arcade was not interfered with, the north wall of the tower being allowed to stand clear of the west bay. The extension eastward of the north aisle may have been carried out at this time, forming a connecting bay between the original aisle and the chancel chapel; the springing of an arch opening to the chapel still remains visible externally in the east wall of the present aisle. The chancel arch was also rebuilt at this time and the clearstory added. The porch seems to have been erected towards the end of the 14th or early in the 15th century and had an upper chamber, but when rebuilt the floor was omitted. In the 15th century the chancel was remodelled, the lateral walls apparently being rebuilt in their present form with large windows, and new windows were inserted in the north aisle and at the east end of the south aisle.
The chancel has a large five-light transomed window with depressed four-centred head, and hood-mould with head-stops. The upper lights are cinquefoiled, but below the transom the cusping has been removed. The outer part of the moulded jambs and the lower part of the sill apparently belong to a late 13th-century window which was altered to its present form in the 15th century, and the three traceried windows in the south wall and that at the west end of the north wall are of the same period. The windows are much restored and differ in design, but range in height and are of three lights, the middle one on the south side having a transom and four-centred head. The others have two-centred heads with vertical tracery. Except in the easternmost window, which is wholly restored, the cusps of the main lights have been removed. The whole of the south wall and the upper part of the north wall are faced with ashlar in wide courses, but there are no lateral buttresses. At either end of the east wall internally is a fragment of early 13th-century chamfered string-course, about 5 ft. above the sanctuary floor, and inserted in the wall above are two small carved heads. The roof is old and of three bays, with moulded beams, but otherwise plain. The walls of the sanctuary are wainscotted and no ancient ritual arrangements are visible. The wide 14th-century arch to the nave is of two chamfered orders, with hood-mould on each side, springing from half-octagonal responds with moulded capitals and bases. There is no screen.
The nave arcades have much in common, but the south arcade, as already stated, is slightly the earlier. The arches are of two chamfered orders springing from octagonal piers with moulded capitals and bases, and from responds of like character; the hood-moulds have head-stops and the bases stand on square plinths. The north arcade partly engages the tower at its west end, and the easternmost arch, which is of less height than the others, springs from responds, the western one attached to the east face of the straight piece of wall already referred to; the capital of the east respond ranges with those of the chancel arch and of the south arcade, but on the west side the springing is slightly higher. The next arch westward springs from a moulded corbel attached to the piece of wall, between which, and the west respond, the arches are equally spaced. The clearstory has three pointed windows on each side, those on the north and the westernmost on the south side, of two trefoiled lights with quatrefoil in the head, the others with traceried heads.
The south aisle has a much-restored 15th-century east window of three cinquefoiled lights, with fourcentred head, transom and vertical tracery, and the two windows in the south wall east of the porch are also much restored. Of these the easternmost has vertical tracery, but the other is of 14th-century date, as is also the well-preserved square-headed three-light window west of the porch, the hollow chamfered jambs of which are enriched with ball-flower. The west wall is blank. The 14th-century piscina of the south aisle altar, with trefoil-headed recess and circular bowl, remains, but in the north aisle no ancient ritual arrangements have survived.
Externally the north aisle is divided by buttresses into three wide bays in each of which is a four-centred traceried window of three cinquefoiled lights, and at the east end a window of similar character but larger and with two-centred head; the two-light west window is modern, or wholly restored. The 14thcentury north doorway has a plain single chamfered arch on moulded imposts, and hood with notch stops. Along the upper part of the walls of aisles and clearstory is a hollow string or tabling enriched with heads, four-leaved flowers and ball-flower ornaments.
In rebuilding the porch the old stones were used externally, but the walls are faced inside with new ashlar. The porch has a flat pitched gable, moulded plinth, diagonal buttresses, and continuous moulded doorway. The upper chamber was lighted at its south end by a pointed window of two trefoil lights with quatrefoil in the head, and on the west and east by square-headed two-light windows, all of which remain in the upper part of the walls, and there are small rectangular lateral windows in the porch. The entrance to the chamber was from the south aisle by a still-existing newel stair, the upper doorway being now blocked.
The tower is of three stages, faced with ashlar, with moulded plinth and pairs of buttresses at the angles. There is no vice. The pointed west window is of two lights with a cusped circle in the head, and in the middle stage is a single-light trefoiled window on the south, and on the north a small square-headed opening. The deeply recessed bell-chamber windows are of two trefoiled lights with quatrefoil in the head, and midshaft with moulded capital and base; the hollow tabling, or cornice above, is enriched with ball-flowers and masks. The spire has very high broaches, plain angles, and two tiers of gabled two-light openings on its cardinal faces. The lofty tower arch is of three chamfered orders, the innermost on half-octagonal responds with moulded capitals and bases, the outer continued to the ground. Above the arch is a plain square-headed opening, now blocked, and part of the tabling of the former nave roof.
The present roof is of six bays with long wall pieces and struts to the principals. It is of oak and is substantially of 14th-century date, but was remodelled in the 17th century. The north aisle roof is also old, with long wall pieces and curved struts, but that of the south aisle was wholly renewed in 1930.
The font has a late 14th-century octagonal panelled bowl mounted on a base apparently of early 13th century date, which is said to have been long used as a mounting block at Cottesmore Hall before its restoration to the church. It is a heavy square block, with the upper part of each angle chamfered and carved with a human head, and on the sides rudely executed carvings within trefoil-arched panels; a bishop or abbot in the act of benediction on the north, a crucifixion on the east, and on the south and west a double rose, or eight-leaved flower with four-lobed centre.
The 17th-century carved oak pulpit has oval strapwork panels, but one of its six sides is open; it stands on a modern stone base. The other furniture of the church is modern.
At the east end of the south aisle is a floor slab dated 1597 inscribed 'Roberte Chamberline bowght this stone and caused it to be layde, I.C., I.W., W.C., March 6, done by the charges of W.C.'
There is no ancient glass, and no monument older than the 19th century.
There are five bells, the first and third by Thomas Norris of Stamford, 1660; the second by Henry Oldfield of Nottingham, 1598, and the tenor by Tobie Norris (II) of Stamford, 1699.
The plate consists of a silver-gilt cup, paten, flagon and alms-dish of 1711–12, all inscribed 'For Cottesmore Church from Dr. Ontey, 1712.'
The registers before 1812 are as follows: (i) all entries 1655–1704; (ii) 1705–52; (iii) baptisms and burials 1753–1812; (iv) marriages 1754–1812. In the first volume is a list of briefs 1665–97.
In the churchyard is a memorial cross to the men of the parish who fell in the War 1914–19."
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