Listed Building: CHURCH OF ST NICHOLAS (281441)

BEDFIELD CHURCH LANE TM 26 NW 2/17 Church of St Nicholas 29/7/55 GV I Parish church. Medieval; chancel restored 1870. Nave, chancel, west tower, south porch. Flint rubble with stone dressings; nave has remains of render. Nave roof is leaded, the chancel plaintiled. C15 tower: square, with 4 stages and crenellated parapet. Diagonal buttresses to west and lateral buttresses to east, projecting to north and south. Flushwork decoration to plinth, buttresses and parapet. Moulded west doorway with fleuron-enriched arch. Above is a 3-light window, to each side and above which are 3 canopied statue niches. Stonework to doorway, window and niches largely renewed C19. 2nd stage has small trefoil-headed windows to north and south. 2-light belfry openings, that to the south blocked. Nave has C12 core: original north doorway with one order of colonnettes and a chevron arch. Early C14 south doorway with medieval door. Various late C14 and C15 windows, 2 to south with mask stops to the hoodmoulds. C15 porch: wide hoodmoulded entrance with cinquefoil-headed niche above; blocked cinquefoil-headed single-light side windows. Original crown-post roof. C12 chancel, extended to east in C14. To the south, 2 2-light Perpendicular windows with square heads, one substantially original. Altered Priest's doorway. To the north is a single lancet window. 3-light east window with Geometrical tracery, inserted 1872. Interior. C14 or early C15 coupled-rafter nave roof with scissor-braced collars and a moulded cornice enriched with fleurons; original boarding between the ashlar pieces; narrow boarded section at east end is probably for a canopy of honour. Arch-braced chancel roof of 1870. Rood stair in south east nave, with an arch in the east splay of a window. Empty niches to each side of the chancel arch. Chancel has a C14 piscina with 2-centred arch; adjacent window has low sill for sedilia. Early C15 octagonal font, the 8 bowl panels carved with 5 different traceried designs and 3 shields. Fine early C17 font cover: panelled base with detached columns at the angles; openwork above, with carved brackets converging on a central column which terminates in a spike finial. At west end of nave are 8 benches with ends terminating in scrolls, perhaps C16. Remainder of seating is of c.1870. Early C17 pulpit with bookboard on carved brackets. C15 dado of rood screen with traceried panels painted with Old Testament prophets. Reredos of 1870 incorporates Lord's Prayer, Commandments and Creed. Listing NGR: TM2271366347