St Nicholas’ Church, Hinxworth, Herts, UK - Medieval Churches on Waymarking.com

The church of St. Nicholas consists of chancel, nave, west tower and south porch. The walls are of flint with stone dressings and the low-pitched roofs are covered with lead.

The general walling of nave and west tower, the north and south doorways and the windows adjoining them on the west, belong to the middle of the 14th century; the west window of the tower and the north, south and west belfry openings were inserted later in the century; the east belfry opening may be original. About 1440 the chancel arch was pulled down and built about 2 ft. further east, and the two large nave windows with their niches and the low-side window were inserted, and the upper passage to the rood-loft roughly formed eastward towards the new chancel arch. The clerestory was raised towards the end of the 15th century and the south porch was erected, and the chancel arch recut to fit it under the new low-pitched roof, the former roof having been high-pitched, as shown by the marks on the east face of the tower. The chancel was rebuilt of brick about the beginning of the 18th century. In 1887 the church was restored, a new roof put over the nave, and stone windows inserted in the chancel. The nave and tower walls are embattled.

In the north wall of the nave is a large 15th-century three-light window with tracery in the head under a four-centred arch. In the south wall is a similar window, and to the east of it is a low-side window of the same date as the larger windows. Both North and South doorways retain their original oak doors, with plain iron hinges; the south doorway has deep sockets in the jambs for the oak bar. The nave roof is modern, but contains four figures of monks holding shields, from the old roof; three of the shields are plain, the fourth is barred.

The south porch is of late 15th-century work; on the west side is a three-light window a similar window on the east side has been blocked. The entrance doorway has a moulded four-centred arch under a square head.

The tower, which has no stairway, is of two stages, with embattled top, with moulded stringcourse under, at the angles of which are carvings, that at the south-west representing a soldier's head armed with basinet and camail of the 14th century.

Building Materials: Stone

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