St Nicholas' Church, Kenilworth

St Nicholas' Church is situated a short distance south of High Street in the Warwickshire town of Kenilworth, England, and is a fine example of an English parish church in Perpendicular style with Tudor alterations, in the handsome red sandstone of the region. It sits right beside the Norman and medieval ruins of St Mary's Abbey, over which a large part of its graveyard now lies.

The land on which the church stands is part of a swathe of what, in the 12th century, was the tiny settlement of Chinewerde, given by King Henry I to his chamberlain and treasurer Geoffrey de Clinton. By around 1119 this swathe had been cleared of woodland under de Clinton's order so that an Augustinian priory housing 16-20 canons could be built, dedicated to Mary the Virgin and meant for the saying of masses for its founder's eternal soul. At around the same time, and a short walk to the west at the neck of the shallow valley of Finham Brook, de Clinton built Kenilworth Castle. The twin foundations were to be closely linked throughout their history: the priory (which had been raised to abbey status in 1458) was dissolved in 1538 and survives today as just a few sections of ruined masonry close by St Nicholas' Church. It was unusual for an Augustinian priory in that it came under royal patronage by the early 13th century, with the result that many of England's medieval monarchs were to visit it during its heyday (see below).

It is conjectured that there was a Norman parish church on the site during the 12th century, and there is reference to a parson in the 1285 Registers of Godfrey Giffard, the Bishop of Worcester. The earliest reference to a parish church on the site, though, as distinct from the church of St Mary's priory, is from Pope Nicholas' taxation records of 1291. The substantial tower and the north and south aisles were added in the 14th century. The original nave roof, lowered in 1580, was at a higher pitch than that which can be seen today; the line of the earlier roof can still be seen as a scar on the eastern face of the tower. The chancel roof was taken down and relaid in 1692 under the auspices of the then vicar, William Best, at a cost of £80. Raised galleries were erected in both of the nave aisles in the middle of the 18th century to accommodate the large congregations of the time.

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Wikipedia