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A Tour of St Nicholas Church
The main entrance is through the c.1500 West door, under the 14th century Tower which is the oldest part of the church. Above the tower are the eight Bells (St George, Peace, Unity, Concord, Faith, Hope, Charity and St Nicholas, cast in 1948 by John Taylor of Loughborough to replace an earlier 6 by Abraham Rudhall in 1735. The Clock, angled on the SW corner was installed in 1682, with electric action in 1975. The original action, inscribed "J Price 1682" (an Alcester ironmonger and gunsmith), was removed from the tower in 1988 and stands in the NW end of the nave.
Memorials:
Sculpture of Sir Hamilton Seymour (1797 - 1880), by Count Gleichen,
nephew to Queen Victoria. Tryptych commissioned by
British Legion and crafted by S.E.Dykes-Bower, fabric surveyor of
Westminster Abbey. John Piper print, from a limited
edition commissioned to raise money for the Tower restoration completed
1993.
The Victorian
Font at the west end of the nave is in Caen stone, erected in 1971 to
the memory of Frederick
Crow, Rector 1844 - 1866. The Doric
columns are from the 1729 rebuild after a fire in 1720. The
Candelabra is inscribed "Ye gift of ye Rt. Rev. Father in God, DR John
Hough Ld Bp of Worcester 1733". The Victorian Pulpit is
carved with figures of the four evangelists. The five side
windows on each side are of 14th century style incorporated into the
more modern walls. Details of the Emrys Jones memorial window
are below.
Memorials: Benefactions board in North aisle dated 1683, but thought to be from 1603. Parish chest late 16th century, used to hold parish registers now in County Record Office, Warwick. Tomb of Sir Fulke Greville and his wife Elizabeth erected in 1665 and restored, resited and reconsecrated 1985. The Grevilles of Beauchamp Court, later of Warwick castle were Alcester's Lords of the Manor. The vestry screen incorporates remains of an early tudor screen. The three tapestries depicting Alcester life were the inspiration in 1985 of Mrs Elizabeth Ford and worked by the townspeople.
The Emrys-Jones memorial window in the South Aisle was dedicated by the Rt. Rev. Dr. Simon Barrington-Ward, Lord Bishop of Coventry, on Sunday, 1st June 1997, in memory of the Rev. John Emrys-Jones and his wife Marise. Designed by Alan Younger, Fellow of the British Society of Master Glass Painters, it shows the Dove, symbol of the Holy Spirit, surrounded by representations of the gifts of the Spirit. Some background quarries contain illustrations of the talents and interests of John and Marise Emrys-Jones.
The chancel was built in 1871, to replace a smaller apse, in a style more like the pre- 1729 church. The East window shows Gethsemane, The Way of Sorrows, The Crucifixion, The Deposition and The Burial. The Rose window shows Christ Victorious.
The North trefoiled window shows St Nicholas, with, at his feet, the ivory tau cross, dug up during alterations to the old rectory and now in the British Museum. The South trefoiled window shows St Faith, the original dedication of this church.
The white marble memorial is to the memory of the second Marquess of Hertford (1743 - 1822) of Ragley Hall, sculptured by Sir Francis Chantrey. The Seymours of Ragley Hall became Lords of the Manor of Alcester in 1810. The icon is of St Methodius and St Cyril of Serbia.
The
St Nicholas churchyard is a feature of the town and is maintained to a
prize-winning standard by the churchyard group. It now includes a
sensory garden complete with a water feature.
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