Building record 0003100000 - Church of St Nicholas, LITTLE HORWOOD

Dimensions - Width 8m, Length 13m.
Plan Form - Cruciform.
[See 00031:00:001 for wall paintings.]
Vicars 1518-1817 (B1).
Grade II+. Parish Church. Nave early C13, chancel and S. aisle originally C14, C15 W. tower, C19 S. porch, all very much restored 1889. Coursed rubble stone, tower of dressed stone with restored ashlar top stage. Tiled roofs to nave and chancel, lead roof to aisle. W. tower of 3 stages has diagonal buttresses, battlemented parapet, 2-light traceried openings to bell-chamber and over W. door, and door with moulded 4-centred arch. N. wall of nave has buttresses, 2 C19 3-light traceried windows and blocked doorway with chamfered arch. S. aisle has restored 3-light Decorated window to west, and 2 3-light cusped windows with flat heads to south, S. door has double hollow chamfered arch and hood. Rendered porch. Chancel has C19 Decorated windows, 2 2-light to south, one 2-light and one single light to north, and one 3-light to east., small S. door in hollow chamfered arch and hood, restored. Interior: tower arch has double hollow chamfer. Nave has S. arcade of 4 bays with double chamfered arches, only slightly pointed except at W. end, on round piers with simply moulded caps and bases. Similar chancel arch on semi- octagonal responds with moulded caps. Nave and chancel roofs are C19, S. aisle has C16 roof with moulded purlin and cambered tie beams. Cusped piscina in chancel. N. wall of nave has wall paintings, C15-C16 over C13. Early C17 pulpit. Brass tablet of Ten Commandments 1641, C19 and C20 glass, other fittings C19. Late C18-early C19 memorial tablets to Langston family. RCHM II p 175 -6 (B8).



Parish church of St. Nicholas, stands at the N. end of the village and is built of stone rubble, except the tower which is of ashlar; the roofs of the chancel and nave are tiled, those of the S. aisle and W. tower are covered with lead. The NAVE and a S.AISLE were built c.1200. The CHANCEL was rebuilt c.1320, when it was widened towards the S. and lengthened a few feet towards the W.; late in the 14th century the SOUTH AISLE was rebuilt and widened, and both aisle and nave were lengthened one bay towards the W., the arcade being partly rebuilt and heightened; the aisle was also lengthened a few feet towards the E., probably at the same time or a little later. The WEST TOWER was added in the 15th century. The SOUTH PORCH is dated 1828. The church was much restored in the 19th century, the chancel being practically rebuilt. The church is especially interesting on account of the mural paintings of the 13th century and of later date, in the nave (B3).

This record includes National Record of the Historic Environment Information provided by Historic England on 4 June 2025 licensed under the Open Government Licence.