St Nicolas Church, Guildford facts for kids
Quick facts for kids St Nicolas Church, Guildford |
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| 51°14′05″N 0°34′39″W / 51.23466°N 0.57747°W | |
| OS grid reference | SU994492 |
| Location | Bury Street, Guildford, Surrey |
| Country | England |
| Denomination | Church of England |
| Churchmanship | High Church |
| Website | [1] |
| History | |
| Status | Parish church |
| Dedication | Saint Nicolas |
| Consecrated | April 1876 |
| Architecture | |
| Functional status | Active |
| Architect(s) | Samuel Sanders Teulon, Ewan Christian |
| Style | Victorian Gothic |
| Administration | |
| Parish | St Nicolas |
| Deanery | Guildford |
| Archdeaconry | Surrey |
| Diocese | Guildford |
| Province | Canterbury |
St Nicolas Church is an Anglican parish church in Guildford, England. It is a very old and important building. It is listed as Grade II*, which means it is a special historic place.
Contents
Where is St Nicolas Church?
Church Location in Guildford
St Nicolas Church is in Guildford, England. It sits by the River Wey, near the bottom of Guildford High Street. The church you see today was built in 1876. It is the third church to stand on this spot.
It is one of Guildford's three oldest parish churches. The other two, Holy Trinity and St Mary's, are on the other side of the river. For a long time, most people lived on the east side of the river. But in the 1900s, Guildford grew westwards.
The Church Parish
The parish of St Nicolas is one of Guildford's original three parishes. A parish is like a local area served by a church. St Nicolas' parish is quite large. It used to include a lot of countryside to the west.
Over the last 100 years, new parishes were created. This made St Nicolas' parish a bit smaller. The parish includes Loseley, a historic home. The More family has lived there since 1509. Their special family chapel is attached to St Nicolas Church. Also in the parish is the ruined St Catherine's Chapel. This old chapel on St Catherine's Hill dates back to about 1300. It is a mysterious building with links to kings and old pilgrimages.
Famous Connections
Writers and Composers
Some famous people who wrote hymns and carols had connections to St Nicolas Church:
- John Mason Neale was a junior priest here. He wrote or composed Good King Wenceslas. He also wrote O happy band of pilgrims.
- John Samuel Bewley Monsell was the main priest (Rector) of the parish. He wrote Fight the good fight and O worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness.
Other Famous People
The famous writer P.G. Wodehouse was baptised at the church's font. This means he had his Christian naming ceremony there.
The son of a former rector, John Manship, was Samuel Manship. Samuel Manship became a well-known publisher in London. He published books about religion and ideas.
Church Building and Design
The church building is made from cut stone and some rough stone. It is a Grade II* listed building. This is mainly because of its special tower. The tower is made of two different colours of stone. It also has unique corners and many decorative openings. These were designed by architects Samuel Sanders Teulon and Ewan Christian.
The front of the church has a straight top. It has tall, narrow windows that come to a point. There is also a small round window above them. A larger window with five lights (sections) is even higher up. The church is built from yellow sandstone found in Surrey. It has ten round windows, grouped in pairs. These are near the simple roof edge.
The north side of the church has a lower, long room called a vestry. It also has a side aisle with a main door facing west. This part of the building connects to a square tower. A square bell tower with a flagpole sits above the main altar area. This tower is made of lighter stone.
The north side of the church has a large window with three lights and a round window. The main altar area, which faces east, is rounded. It has a curved ceiling. This area has a marble floor and beautiful mosaics.
