Building record 0435500000 - ST NICHOLAS' CHURCH, CHEARSLEY

Grade II+. Parish church. C13 nave incorporating C12 parts, C15 west tower and chancel. Early C18 south porch. Coursed rubblestone, except chancel of rough rubble, and brick south porch. Old tile roofs. 2 bay chancel with Victorian north vestry 4-bay nave and west tower. East window of two 4-centred traceried lights under hood mould two 2-light septfoiled north and south chancel windows. Diagonal buttresses and weathered buttresses. Nave has C12 herringbone work on lower parts of north wall. 3 north windows, eastern-most a lancet, then a 3-light one with cinquefoiled lights under a square labelled head, west one 3-light leaded oak framed casement to former gallery. South side similar gallery casement. At east end of south side 2-light window, then 3 cinquefoiled light C15 window, west end a lancet. North and south doors c1300 with moulded jambs and pointed heads. South porch in brick with gabled roof. West tower of 2 stages, moulded strings and embattled parapet. 5 stage south-east stair turret with pyramid roof. C15 west window. Loop lights to upper part of lower stage. Belfry windows of 2 cinquefoil lights with quatrefoil in a 2-centred head. Diagonal buttresses. Interior: Chancel has C14 piscina with cinquefoil ogee head and sexfoil basin; late C15 roof of 3 trusses, east one with arched tie-beam, other 2 with raking queen strutts. Braced purlins at east and west. Nave roof C14, altered C15 or C16. No two trusses the same. Chancel arch C13 or C14 reset. Jambs and 2-centred arch of 2 chamfered orders. Arch off-centre. Tower arch 2-centred c1480 of 2 chamfered orders with square jambs. Font. Early C13 cup-shaped bowl with fluted scallops, foilage band and cable rim, of Aylesbury type. C15 octagonal stem and moulded base. Brass in chancel to John Frankeleyn and wife, 1462. Stained glass in west window of tower and nave south east window, all fragmentary. Royal arms on chancel north wall of George II. Wall painting over part blocked north door of St. Nicholas, C14 or C15. Bordered commandments above chancel arch C16, which is cut into by present chancel arch which must be C17 reset. Wall monument to Egelton 1778 has painted scrolls and plinth pediment head and putto apron. RCHM I, p.86. MON.1.(B6)
SMALL-SCALE INVESTIGATIONS CARRIED OUT IN OCTOBER 2000 BY MIKE FARLEY BENEATH THE FLOOR OF THE TOWER LOCATED AN EARLY GROUND SURFACE CUT BY A LARGE FEATURE WITH IN-SITU MORTAR-MIXING DEPOSIT, POSSIBLY ASSOCIATED WITH THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE TOWER, OR A VAULT. FIND OF A GLAZED LATE MEDIEVAL FLOOR TILE SUGGESTS THE FORMER EXISTENCE OF A TILED FLOOR (B7).
Subsequent watching brief carried out in November 2002 by TVAS during groundworks for draining works identified the substantial construction cut for the tower foundations and probable traces of the original west wall of the church including a possible entrance doorway 1m wide. Features remain undisturbed in-situ (B8).