St Nicholas' Church, Littleborough
Encyclopedia
St Nicholas' Church, Littleborough, is a redundant
Anglican
church in the hamlet of Littleborough
, Nottinghamshire
, England. It has been designated by English Heritage
as a Grade I listed building, and is under the care of the Churches Conservation Trust
.
town of Segelocum (or Agelocum), which was adjacent to a ford crossing the River Trent
on the Roman road between Lincoln and York
, by way of Doncaster
. Littleborough is not mentioned in the Domesday Book
, and there is speculation that the church was founded by William the Conqueror, as it stands in what was his manor
of Mansfield
. The church was probably built in the second half of the 11th century. It was restored in 1832, when the vestry
was added. The vestry was rebuilt in 1900, and the church was restored again in 1973. It was vested
in the Churches Conservation Trust on 1 April 1993.
which includes brick and Roman brick fragments. This is coursed
in places and elsewhere it is in herring-bone design. The church has dressed stone quoins
, ashlar
dressings, and slate
roofs. Its plan is simple, consisting of a two-bay
nave
, a single-bay chancel
and a lean-to
north vestry. On the west gable
is a double bellcote, and on the east gable is a cross. At the west end of the church is a round-headed doorway, flanked by buttress
es. On the north side of the church is a brick chimney stack and a single round-headed window. On the south side are two 19th-century round-headed windows. At the east end of the chancel is a single 19th-century round-headed window, and there is a similar window in the south wall. On the north side of the vestry is a three-light mullion
ed and transomed
window.
pillars. In the east window is stained glass dating from 1900. In the south wall of the chancel is a 14th-century trefoil
-headed piscina
. The font
has a square base and a 17th-century eggcup-shaped bowl. Its cover dates from about the 18th century, and is domed with a ball finial
. The lectern
and reading desk date from the 19th century, and the oak benches from about 1900. The monuments date from between 1765 and 1855.
Redundant church
A redundant church is a church building that is no longer required for regular public worship. The phrase is particularly used to refer to former Anglican buildings in the United Kingdom, but may refer to any disused church building around the world...
Anglican
Anglicanism
Anglicanism is a tradition within Christianity comprising churches with historical connections to the Church of England or similar beliefs, worship and church structures. The word Anglican originates in ecclesia anglicana, a medieval Latin phrase dating to at least 1246 that means the English...
church in the hamlet of Littleborough
Littleborough, Nottinghamshire
Littleborough is a hamlet in Nottinghamshire, England. It is located 8 miles east of Retford, and is in the civil parish of Sturton le Steeple. Littleborough is the site of the Roman town of Segelocum, situated on the west bank of the River Trent where the road from Lincoln to Doncaster bridged or...
, Nottinghamshire
Nottinghamshire
Nottinghamshire is a county in the East Midlands of England, bordering South Yorkshire to the north-west, Lincolnshire to the east, Leicestershire to the south, and Derbyshire to the west...
, England. It has been designated by English Heritage
English Heritage
English Heritage . is an executive non-departmental public body of the British Government sponsored by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport...
as a Grade I listed building, and is under the care of the Churches Conservation Trust
Churches Conservation Trust
The Churches Conservation Trust, which was initially known as the Redundant Churches Fund, is a charity whose purpose is to protect historic churches at risk, those that have been made redundant by the Church of England. The Trust was established by the Pastoral Measure of 1968...
.
History
Littleborough stands on the site of the RomanRoman Empire
The Roman Empire was the post-Republican period of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe and around the Mediterranean....
town of Segelocum (or Agelocum), which was adjacent to a ford crossing the River Trent
River Trent
The River Trent is one of the major rivers of England. Its source is in Staffordshire on the southern edge of Biddulph Moor. It flows through the Midlands until it joins the River Ouse at Trent Falls to form the Humber Estuary, which empties into the North Sea below Hull and Immingham.The Trent...
on the Roman road between Lincoln and York
York
York is a walled city, situated at the confluence of the Rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. The city has a rich heritage and has provided the backdrop to major political events throughout much of its two millennia of existence...
, by way of Doncaster
Doncaster
Doncaster is a town in South Yorkshire, England, and the principal settlement of the Metropolitan Borough of Doncaster. The town is about from Sheffield and is popularly referred to as "Donny"...
. Littleborough is not mentioned in the Domesday Book
Domesday Book
Domesday Book , now held at The National Archives, Kew, Richmond upon Thames in South West London, is the record of the great survey of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086...
, and there is speculation that the church was founded by William the Conqueror, as it stands in what was his manor
Manorialism
Manorialism, an essential element of feudal society, was the organizing principle of rural economy that originated in the villa system of the Late Roman Empire, was widely practiced in medieval western and parts of central Europe, and was slowly replaced by the advent of a money-based market...
of Mansfield
Mansfield
Mansfield is a town in Nottinghamshire, England. It is the main town in the Mansfield local government district. Mansfield is a part of the Mansfield Urban Area....
. The church was probably built in the second half of the 11th century. It was restored in 1832, when the vestry
Vestry
A vestry is a room in or attached to a church or synagogue in which the vestments, vessels, records, etc., are kept , and in which the clergy and choir robe or don their vestments for divine service....
was added. The vestry was rebuilt in 1900, and the church was restored again in 1973. It was vested
Vesting
In law, vesting is to give an immediately secured right of present or future enjoyment. One has a vested right to an asset that cannot be taken away by any third party, even though one may not yet possess the asset. When the right, interest or title to the present or future possession of a legal...
in the Churches Conservation Trust on 1 April 1993.
Exterior
St Nicholas' is a small church constructed of rubbleRubble
Rubble is broken stone, of irregular size, shape and texture. This word is closely connected in derivation with "rubbish", which was formerly also applied to what we now call "rubble". Rubble naturally found in the soil is known also as brash...
which includes brick and Roman brick fragments. This is coursed
Course (architecture)
A course is a continuous horizontal layer of similarly-sized building material one unit high, usually in a wall. The term is almost always used in conjunction with unit masonry such as brick, cut stone, or concrete masonry units .-Styles:...
in places and elsewhere it is in herring-bone design. The church has dressed stone quoins
Quoin (architecture)
Quoins are the cornerstones of brick or stone walls. Quoins may be either structural or decorative. Architects and builders use quoins to give the impression of strength and firmness to the outline of a building...
, ashlar
Ashlar
Ashlar is prepared stone work of any type of stone. Masonry using such stones laid in parallel courses is known as ashlar masonry, whereas masonry using irregularly shaped stones is known as rubble masonry. Ashlar blocks are rectangular cuboid blocks that are masonry sculpted to have square edges...
dressings, and slate
Slate
Slate is a fine-grained, foliated, homogeneous metamorphic rock derived from an original shale-type sedimentary rock composed of clay or volcanic ash through low-grade regional metamorphism. The result is a foliated rock in which the foliation may not correspond to the original sedimentary layering...
roofs. Its plan is simple, consisting of a two-bay
Bay (architecture)
A bay is a unit of form in architecture. This unit is defined as the zone between the outer edges of an engaged column, pilaster, or post; or within a window frame, doorframe, or vertical 'bas relief' wall form.-Defining elements:...
nave
Nave
In Romanesque and Gothic Christian abbey, cathedral basilica and church architecture, the nave is the central approach to the high altar, the main body of the church. "Nave" was probably suggested by the keel shape of its vaulting...
, a single-bay chancel
Chancel
In church architecture, the chancel is the space around the altar in the sanctuary at the liturgical east end of a traditional Christian church building...
and a lean-to
Lean-to
A lean-to is a term used to describe a roof with a single slope. The term also applies to a variety of structures that are built using a lean-to roof....
north vestry. On the west gable
Gable
A gable is the generally triangular portion of a wall between the edges of a sloping roof. The shape of the gable and how it is detailed depends on the structural system being used and aesthetic concerns. Thus the type of roof enclosing the volume dictates the shape of the gable...
is a double bellcote, and on the east gable is a cross. At the west end of the church is a round-headed doorway, flanked by buttress
Buttress
A buttress is an architectural structure built against or projecting from a wall which serves to support or reinforce the wall...
es. On the north side of the church is a brick chimney stack and a single round-headed window. On the south side are two 19th-century round-headed windows. At the east end of the chancel is a single 19th-century round-headed window, and there is a similar window in the south wall. On the north side of the vestry is a three-light mullion
Mullion
A mullion is a vertical structural element which divides adjacent window units. The primary purpose of the mullion is as a structural support to an arch or lintel above the window opening. Its secondary purpose may be as a rigid support to the glazing of the window...
ed and transomed
Transom (architectural)
In architecture, a transom is the term given to a transverse beam or bar in a frame, or to the crosspiece separating a door or the like from a window or fanlight above it. Transom is also the customary U.S. word used for a transom light, the window over this crosspiece...
window.
Interior
The chancel arch dates from the 11th century. It incorporates two SaxonAnglo-Saxon architecture
Anglo-Saxon architecture was a period in the history of architecture in England, and parts of Wales, from the mid-5th century until the Norman Conquest of 1066. Anglo-Saxon secular buildings in Britain were generally simple, constructed mainly using timber with thatch for roofing...
pillars. In the east window is stained glass dating from 1900. In the south wall of the chancel is a 14th-century trefoil
Trefoil
Trefoil is a graphic form composed of the outline of three overlapping rings used in architecture and Christian symbolism...
-headed piscina
Piscina
A piscina is a shallow basin placed near the altar of a church, used for washing the communion vessels. The sacrarium is the drain itself. Anglicans usually refer to the basin, calling it a piscina. Roman Catholics usually refer to the drain, and by extension, the basin, as the sacrarium...
. The font
Baptismal font
A baptismal font is an article of church furniture or a fixture used for the baptism of children and adults.-Aspersion and affusion fonts:...
has a square base and a 17th-century eggcup-shaped bowl. Its cover dates from about the 18th century, and is domed with a ball finial
Finial
The finial is an architectural device, typically carved in stone and employed decoratively to emphasize the apex of a gable or any of various distinctive ornaments at the top, end, or corner of a building or structure. Smaller finials can be used as a decorative ornament on the ends of curtain rods...
. The lectern
Lectern
A lectern is a reading desk with a slanted top, usually placed on a stand or affixed to some other form of support, on which documents or books are placed as support for reading aloud, as in a scripture reading, lecture, or sermon...
and reading desk date from the 19th century, and the oak benches from about 1900. The monuments date from between 1765 and 1855.