Church of St. Nicholas, Grosmont

The Church of St Nicholas in the village of Grosmont, Monmouthshire, Wales, is a 13th-century parish church rescued from dereliction in the nineteenth century.^[1] It is a Grade I listed building as of 1 September 1956.^[2]

History and architecture

The church is a "noble Early English building crowned by an octagonal Decorated tower and spire".^[1] It is built of Old Red Sandstone with ashlar dressings and slate roofs.^[3] In the late 19th century the church was close to collapse and was saved through an extensive reconstruction in 1869–79 by J. P. Seddon.^[1] The work was largely funded by John Etherington Welch Rolls of The Hendre, a local landowner and benefactor.^[4]

The church has an "ambitious cruciform plan"^[5] indicative of its status as the church for Grosmont Castle, with which it is broadly contemporaneous, and for the new borough of Grosmont.^[5]

The interior is "a shock to the modern visitor who encounters an uncluttered medieval interior dominated by the arcades and roof".^[5] The unfurnished nave demonstrates the "strong early thirteenth century arcades to the full".^[6] Tree-ring dating of the timbers which form the roof show that they were felled in the period 1214–1244, which confirms the exceptionally early date of the roof's construction.^[5] It is considered "the only surviving pre-1400 church roof in Wales".^[5]

A stained-glass window in the chancel commemorates John Etherington Welch Rolls.^[7] In the transept is an unfinished memorial to a knight, dating from the late 13th or early 14th century – "a rare survival of great technical interest".^[7]

Morning prayers at held at the church each Tuesday, as are Sunday services.^[8]

References