St. Nicholas is the Patron Saint of children, as well as merchants, sailors, pawnbrokers, apothecaries and perfumers.
Almost 400 churches in England are dedicated to St. Nicholas, many near the coast, an indication of his associations with the seaand seamen.
The exact date of construction of the present St. Nicholas Church is not known but it is believed to have been built during the 13th Century. It is possible that there may have previously been a church on the site, probably a wooden building but as yet, there is no evidence to support this.
The present church, or at least, the nave, must have been standing by 1254, when the first recorded rector, Richard de List, is known to have been at St. Nicholas, although nothing else is known of him.
During its first century of existence, St. Nicholas appears to have consisted simply of what is now the nave. However, during the 1330's, the chancel and chapel were added. The chapel, at least, was financed by Thomas de Berdefield and it was dedicated to the Virgin Mary and St. Thomas a Becket. Inside the chapel, at the foot of the south wall, there is a curious, arched recess which may have been the tomb of de Berdefield, although past excavations have not been able to substantiate this.
During the 15th Century, the South Porch and the Bell Turret were added to the church. The Bell Turret is a highly complex structure which consists of two turrets, one inside the other, thereby allowing the timber frame to support the weight of the five bells. Two of the bells date from the 15th Century and are inscribed in Latin.The Tenor bell dates from 1588, the year of the Spanish Armada. The date of the bell probably explains the popular stories about timber beams in the church coming from ships of the Armada. However, the beams were in place long before the Armada sailed.
The late 16th and early 17th Centuries are perhaps the best documented period in the history of St. Nicholas Church until modern times. This is largely due to a succession of rectors of national repute during the Reformation in Tudor times.
The three storied, wooden annex at the western end of the church was built during the late Tudor or Early Stuart times and was probably intended to be the priest's house or at least the home of the curate. It contains a bread oven, which is thought to be one of only several in existence - or possibly even unique. In later years, the priest's house was used as a school, housing the school master and his family and often pupils as well. The last school master at St. Nicholas was James Hornsby, after whom, a local senior school is named. Mr Hornsby kept six weekly boarders in the tiny attic, which at the time was illuminated only by one glass tile.
The cache has a log book but no pen so please bring one with you.
If any body would like to expand to this series please do, could you please let sadexploration know first so he can keep track of the Church numbers and names to avoid duplication.