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 church located in Guildford, England. It is a special place where people gather for worship and community events. An Anglican church is part of the Church of England, which is the main Christian church in England.
Contents
Discovering St Nicolas Church
Where is St Nicolas Church located?
St Nicolas Church is found on the west side of the River Wey in Guildford. It sits at the end of Guildford High Street. You can reach it by crossing the Town Bridge, which is now only for people walking. The church you see today was officially opened in 1876. It is actually the third church to be built on this very spot!
St Nicolas is one of Guildford's three oldest parish churches. A parish is like a local area that a church serves. The other two old churches, Holy Trinity and St Mary's, are on the east side of the river. For a long time, most of Guildford's people lived on the east side. But in the 20th century, the town grew, and more people moved to the west side, closer to St Nicolas.
What is the St Nicolas Parish?
The St Nicolas parish is one of the three original church areas in Guildford. It covers about 2,600 acres. While the main part of Guildford town was on the east side, the St Nicolas parish stretched west into the countryside. It included areas like Artington and Littleton.
Over the last 100 years, new parishes like All Saints in Onslow Village and St Francis Littleton were created. This made the St Nicolas parish a bit smaller.
Inside the parish, you'll find Loseley. This has been the home of the More (later More-Molyneux) family since 1509. They even have their own special chapel, built around 1550, attached to the south side of St Nicolas Church.
Also in the parish, on St Catherine's Hill, are the ruins of St Catherine’s Chapel. This old chapel dates back to about 1300. It's a mysterious building with links to kings and queens, and it was a place where people went on religious journeys.
Famous Connections at St Nicolas
Writers and Composers of Hymns
Some famous people who wrote hymns (church songs) or carols (Christmas songs) had connections to St Nicolas Church:
- John Mason Neale: He was a junior clergy member (a deacon) at the church. He wrote or composed many well-known songs, including Good King Wenceslas and O happy band of pilgrims.
- John Samuel Bewley Monsell: He was the main priest (rector) of the parish. He wrote popular hymns like Fight the good fight and O worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness.
Other Famous Writers
- P.G. Wodehouse: This famous writer, known for his funny stories, was baptised at St Nicolas Church. This means he had water poured on his head from the church's font as part of a special ceremony.
- Samuel Manship: He was the son of John Manship, who was the rector of the church from 1612 to 1689. Samuel Manship became a publisher in London, printing books about religion and philosophy.
Exploring the Church's Design
The church building is made from carefully cut stone and some rough stone mixed with mortar. It is listed as a Grade II* building, which means it's very important historically. This is mainly because of its tower, which uses two different colours of stone and has special corner stones called quoins. The inside arches, pillars, and many decorative openings were designed by architects Samuel Sanders Teulon and Ewan Christian.
The front of the church, facing west, has a straight top (gable end). It has tall, narrow windows that come to a point at the top, called pointed arch windows. Above these, there's a small round window and then a larger window with five sections shaped like clover leaves.
The church is built using yellow ironstone-sandstone from Surrey. It has ten round windows, grouped in pairs, along the side. Above these windows, there's a simple stone line (string course) and then the roof. The roof is long and made of slate, with a simple yellow stone cross at the west end.
The north side of the church has a lower, long room (vestry) and a side aisle with the main door facing west. This part connects to a square porch tower. A square bell tower with a flagpole sits above the main part of the church (chancel). This tower is made of lighter stone.
The north side also has a large window with three sections and a round window above them. The chancel, which faces east, is rounded at the end and has a curved ceiling. It features a marble floor and beautiful mosaics.
