REIGATE HUNDRED 



CHARLWOOD 



north to south by 1 5 ft. east to west, nave (the present 

 north aisle) 37 ft. 4 in. by 22 ft. 8 in., south aisle 1 6 ft. 

 wide below the nave, and a south porch ; all these 

 measurements are taken within the building. 



The plan is of much interest, preserving the aisleless 

 nave and the tower of a church of c. I loo, the tower 

 having been set between the chancel and nave, with 

 the same internal width as the former, but being 

 externally wider owing to the greater thickness of its 

 walls. The nave is 6 ft. wider than the tower, and 

 the tower itself is not accurately square, being about 

 2 ft. less from east to west than from north to south. 

 Its greatest inclusive measurement is 24 ft., a size 

 which occurs so often in 12th-century towers that it 

 has claims to be considered normal. In the beginning 

 of the 1 4th century a south aisle 1 6 ft. wide was added 

 to the nave, and the chancel seems to have been 

 lengthened and probably rebuilt some thirty years 

 later. The south porch is a 1 5th-century addition, 

 and about 1480 a large south chapel of the full width 

 of the south aisle was added, and arches opened to it 

 from the old chancel and tower. It is inclosed on the 

 line of the east wall of the tower by a screen, and 

 was doubtless the Lady chapel. 

 In modern times, owing to its 

 greater convenience, it has be- 

 come the chancel, the old chan- 

 cel being used as an organ cham- 

 ber and vestry. Cracklow notes 

 that the church was repaired 

 and a gallery erected in 1716. 



A certain amount of modern 

 repair has been done, much of 

 the external firestone ashlar being 

 in a bad state of decay, whilst 

 there are several cracks over the 

 tower arches. 



The old chancel has a 15th- 

 century east window of three 

 trefoiled lights under an ellip- 

 tical head with moulded labels 

 inside and out ; the jambs out- 

 side have a wide casement 

 mould ; and the external label 

 and outer order of the arch are 

 modern restorations. On either 

 side of the window are 15th-century image-niches 

 about 4 ft. high with trefoiled and square heads ; 

 they are only 7 in. deep, but the projecting brackets 

 which formerly existed beneath them have been cut 

 away. A fireplace is now placed across the south- 

 east angle. The first of the two north windows, 

 much restored, dates from c. 1330, and has two ogee 

 trefoiled lights with a half-quatrefoil between them 

 under a square head, the jambs and head being of one 

 hollow-chamfered order, with a scroll moulded label 

 and head stops, now much perished. The second 

 north window is a 16th-century insertion of two plain 

 lights with four-centred arches in a square head ; be- 

 low it the wall has been pierced by a modern doorway 

 of very poor character. An arcade of two bays divides 

 the old chancel from the south chapel (present chancel) ; 

 its middle pillar is octagonal, each face being concave, 

 and has a moulded base and capital of late section ; each 

 respond consists of rather more than half of a similar 

 pillar, and the capitals, especially that of the west one, 

 are set back as far as possible, in a peculiar manner, to 

 obtain a wider arch thereby ; the arches are four- 



centred and of two chamfered orders ; and on the 

 north side (towards the originil chancel) they have a 

 moulded label, while there is none on the south. 



The east window of the chapel has three trefoiled 

 four-centred lights under a depressed four-centred 

 arch ; it has been partly repaired outside. In the 

 south wall is a small square recess with moulded edges, 

 which has no drain and seems to be a credence rather 

 than a piscina recess. 



The first and second windows in the south wall 

 have details like those of the east window, and are of 

 three lights under square heads, their masonry being 

 to a large extent old. 



The ground stage of the tower has a two-light 

 1 5th-century window in its north wall, and arches in 

 the other three, that to the old chancel being much 

 altered and made up with roman cement ; it is round- 

 headed, and springs from square imposts, being evi- 

 dently the original opening ; while the west arch 

 of the tower is also original, but much more per- 

 fect, with small attached shafts with cushion capitals 

 to the inner order ; the shafts have chamfered bases 

 dying on the splayed plinth of the jamb ; and the 



C.1520 . 



15 4 Century. 



C.1500., 

 /Aodem. 



Sca.U of Feet. 

 PLAN OF ST. NICHOLAS' CHURCH, CHARLWOOD 



semicircular arch is of two square orders. The south 

 arch dates from the addition of the chapel, and has 

 semi-octagonal responds with chamfered bases and 

 plainly moulded capitals which bear signs of 1 7th- 

 century or later recutting ; the arch is a pointed 

 one of two hollow-chamfered orders. 



The tower stair is a modern one of wood inclosed in 

 the north-west corner, accessible only by an external 

 square-headed doorway. The ringing chamber has two 

 rectangular lights on the north, a small round-headed 

 light looking into the nave in the west, and the upper 

 half of a blocked round-headed window on the south ; 

 the bell-chamber or third story is lighted in each wall 

 by pairs of round-headed lights ; those in the east 

 wall have brick jambs, but the others are of stone in a 

 more or less decayed condition ; the parapet has a 

 moulded string and embattled coping of 15th-century 

 date or later. 



The early nave walls are very well preserved, except 

 on the south, the original sandstone quoins showing at 

 the western and north-eastern angles. The only 

 original window, however, is that in the north wall, 



187 



