St Nicholas, Fulbeck

St. Nicholas’ in Fulbeck is quite a large church in good condition. It consists of a nave, two aisles and a fairly long chancel. The aisles are separated from the nave by a three bay arcade on either side of the nave. The arcades are supported on plain round columns of, perhaps, 2.5 metres height. The pillars and facing stones of these two arcades do not seem to have any great age. Above the arcades is a clerestory with plain glass glazing. The clerestory windows have very flat arches and virtually no ornamentation.

The roof, again, is of no great age and is supported on carved bosses. There is a variety of carved wooden figures on the bosses and between them.

The aisle windows are English Decorated style. Those in the north aisle are fairly simply ornamented while those in the south aisle are more complex. The north aisle windows have rather dark stained glass dated 1838, 1855 and 1852. The south aisle windows have much lighter glass (but not plain) with either geometric patterns or coats of arms. The east window in the south aisle is in the Perpendicular style.

The chancel is rather long – it is divided into the chancel proper and a sanctuary. It has six windows and a large east window, all in the English Decorated style. The stained glass here is figurative and is dated 1857, unreadable, undated (north wall) and 1840, 1868, 1862 (south wall). These dates are all the commemoration dates – the actual glass is likely to be a year or two newer. The east window was enlarged in 1988 and glazed in 1891 (stone work is carved with the date and the glass also contains a date).

On the south wall of the sanctuary is a three bay ‘seat’ and on the north wall is a low arch with no discernible purpose. The roof of the chancel looks to be much the same date as the nave roof but is much plainer. The arch between the nave and chancel is Gothic borne on half-octagonal columns.

The organ is fitted on a mezzanine in the tower. This looks to be twentieth century to me.

The pews are of dark-stained wood and I would be very surprised if they were not Victorian. The nave has electric lighting of a very modern design which does not look out of place. The walls are covered with memorials ina plethora of designs.

The font is square and lead lined with a round wooden lid. I cannot think that the font is very old.

The door in the south proch is oak and is ornamented in the Perpendiculat fashion. This door clearly has some age and I would think dates from the end of the fifteenth century. The proch is plain and clealry quite old. There is some graffitti in the wall around the door – one instance is dated to 1679.

The photographs:

The nave and east window:

North aisle windows:

 

South aisle windows:

The chancel:

The organ in the tower:

West end of north aisle:

West end of south aisle:

The font:

plain column of the aisle arcades:

The modern lighting fittings:

Wooden carvings in the roof:

Clerestory windows:

Outside, the stonework is clearly of differing ages. Some is in ‘as new’ condition and would seem to be Victorian work and some is very weathered and must be much older. The window stones, in particular, do not seem to be very old, yet the gargoyles are very weathered and in some cases have lost almost all their features. The porch must date to before 1700 as the graffitti offers a date for a bored schoolboy in 1679 (as well as another bored schoolboy in 1968).

Graffitti:

 

Gargoyles and other grotesques:

Other features (sundial? ventilation?)

The churchyard is well maintained and has a multitude of yellow and pink priroses which were in full flower when I visited. There is a lych-gate at the main entrance to the church.

 

Advertisement