Saint Nicholas Church Clock - St Nicholas Church Street, Warwick, UK
N 52° 16.904 W 001° 34.925
30U E 596726 N 5793320
This 1785 church is located on the east side of Saint Nicholas Church Street. The church's tower has eight bells dating from 1957. There is also a clock mounted in the tower.
Waymark Code: WMHMVF
Location: West Midlands, United Kingdom
Date Posted: 07/24/2013
Views: 4
The clock face is on the front of the tower and is in a
recessed opening that matches windows on the other faces of the tower. Trees in
the churchyard prevent a good view of the clock face.
The face is painted black with the hour and minute marks painted directly onto
the face in gold. The hour marks are Roman numerals with "IIII" used instead of
"IV" for four. The hands, also gold in colour, are decorative but without tails.
The
Church Bells of Warwickshire website tells us about Saint Nicholas's bells:
The bells here were unringable for
about 30 years until being recast and rehung in a new cast iron lowside
frame by Taylors in 1957. These were a ring of 6 by Richard Keene, 1695. The
treble and tenor were recast by Matthew Bagley in 1770 & 1773. The fifth was
recast by Edward Arnold in 1798. The third was recast by C & G Mears in 1849
and the treble again was recast in 1877 by Mears and Stainbank. The ring was
made into an octave a decade later.
Tilley & Walters note that there were 5 bells by 1552. The 3rd and 4th were
recast in 1554-59 by Newcombe of Leicester and there were other,
unspecified, recasts in 1561, 1562 and 1565. In 1571 another bell was
recast. Another bell, the 4th, was recast by Dankes and Baker in 1619. All
went quiet until 1695!
They are an excellent ring of 8 that is popular with peal ringers. Recently
there has been adjustable sound control added and this should maintain this
church's position as the leading pealed tower in the Coventry Diocese.
This church is easily spotted when coming from the Coventry side of town. It
has a spire and is set on the opposite side of a roundabout to the corner of
the castle walls. Limited parking is available for cars in the churchyard,
enter along St Nicholas Church Street. There is a pay and display car park
round to the left at the roundabout at the end of the street. Entry is by
the tower stairs on the north side.
1 John Taylor &
Co, Loughborough 1957 4-1-13
26.00" 1401.0Hz (F+5c)
2 John Taylor & Co, Loughborough
1957 5-0-04 27.125" 1321.0Hz
(E+3c)
3 John Taylor & Co, Loughborough
1957 5-0-12 28.00" 1173.0Hz
(D-2c)
4 John Taylor & Co, Loughborough
1957 5-1-27 30.375" 1044.0Hz
(C-4c)
5 John Taylor & Co, Loughborough
1957 6-1-11 32.50"
928.0Hz (Bb-8c)
6 John Taylor & Co, Loughborough
1957 7-3-15 34.875" 875.0Hz
(A-10c)
7 John Taylor & Co, Loughborough
1957 11-0-12 39.00" 775.5Hz
(G-19c)
8 John Taylor & Co, Loughborough
1957 15-2-20 43.875" 691.0Hz
(F-19c)
The
church's website tells us of the history of the church:
A unique late 18th century church
building and centre, St Nicholas Church guards the southern entrance of old
Warwick. The present Church was built in 1785, replacing a decaying
mediaeval church, the roots of which lay in a former Saxon nunnery on the
site.
Few new churches were built at that time, after the short period of
classical revival church building in the style of Wren. St Nicholas is an
unusually fine example of Gothic revival architecture, pre-dating the
Victorian excesses, and displaying a rare, delicate, simple style. This
creates an unusual Church worship and community centre.
Internally the unusually fine columns support a squared capitol, from which
rises a very shallow vaulted plaster ceiling. With only four free standing
pillars, the essence of the building is a light and airy square space with
large decorated style windows. Originally built with a small rounded apse,
the former chancel arch has been filled in, hiding behind it a heavy later
Victorian, dark chancel. This is now divided horizontally into two floors,
creating valuable activity space, sustained by kitchen and toilet
facilities.
The approach to the church through the space beneath the western spire leads
to a ‘welcome’ area beneath the western organ gallery, more reminiscent of a
Wesleyan chapel! This provides a seating and meeting area, with a removable
glass screen to the main church space, with modern toilet and catering
facilities, the latter with lifting shutters into the main church area.
The present Church is still regarded historically as the Castle’s Church;
hence the Earl of Warwick is a patron. Connections with the Castle go back a
long way and our links are still strong today, for example, our Choir sings
on the Castle Tower at sunrise on Ascension Day.
The overall result is a 200 year old Gothic style people’s centre for
worship and prayer, doubling as a pleasant area for events such as the
Christmas bazaar, meetings, concerts, church parties, as well as the formal
worship of a live church community in the 21st century.
The church is Grade I listed with the entry at the
English Heritage website telling us:
Rebuilt in C18 on site of a
medieval church. Steeple with porch at west end rebuilt 1748 perhaps by Job
Collins and probably altered when body of church rebuilt l779-80 in a mixed
Perpendicular and Flamboyant style by Thomas Johnson of Warwick. Nave with
wide high aisles forming nearly square rectangle. Chancel added 1869-70 in
Decorated style by John Gibson. An important feature of the old town
approached from Castle Bridge. Interior contains 2 carved wall monuments in
porch, 1656. West gallery. Brass of 1424, carved monument of 1734 with putti
and cherubim.