St Nicholas Church Nether Winchendon Buckinghamshire

Oxford Archaeology has undertaken a programme of historic building investigation and
recording at St Nicolas, Church, Nether Winchendon, Buckinghamshire. This work related to
renovation of post medieval pews and other fixtures and fittings within the church.
The works in the church revealed a considerable wealth of hitherto unknown or hidden feature.
These help to recreate the appearance of the interior at various stages prior to the
construction of the existing post-medieval fixtures and fittings.
Removal of the pew panels revealed the east jamb of the blocked north door. The lower south
wall of the Nave exposed by removal of the pews appeared to be of one phase with no blocked
or hidden features.
An older hard earth surface was revealed below the pews, the existing font base was situated
in a cut through this surface and an adjacent cut on the west may indicate an earlier font
position. North-west of the font early grave cuts showed in the surface. In the central part of
the south side of the Nave an 18th or 19th century brick burial vault was uncovered and seen
to contain six lead coffins and probable remnants of decayed coverings.
The remnant of a tiled floor was found at the east end of the south side of the nave this
consisted of reused decorated medieval tiles and plain Flemish or Flemish-style tiles. Another
small section of a worn tiled floor was seen at the west end of the Nave. Two decorated tiles
found loose under the pews were formerly unknown from Nether Winchendon, one of them is
not recorded by Hohler or Haberley.
Sections of pew panelling seen in situ on the north Nave wall seemed to range in date from the
17th century to relatively modern.
Part of a post-medieval wall painting of framed texts was revealed on the south part of the east
Nave wall behind the pulpit and was probably part of a scheme including a similar painting
seen in 1986 on the north part of the east Nave wall.
The pulpit itself seems to have been moved from a different position as the moulding on the
south side of the sounding board appeared to have been cut off to fit it flush to the wall and the
side of the pulpit against the south wall seemed to have been a separate panel; possibly
formerly being the door.
Some fragments of painted medieval glass were found below the south-west window. These
included parts of two faces in halos which may represent an Apostle and an angel. Stylistically
they could be of the first quarter of the 15th century and earlier than the existing figure of St
Peter.
Probably the most significant finds were reused timbers in the pew bases which clearly came
from a medieval roof. Measurement of the timbers making up an arch-braced truss showed
they were from the Nave roof. Construction details of the roof were noted, a rafter and ridge
piece showed that the roof slope was low like the present roof and not the original roof
matching the steep Nave gables. It may have been a 15th century replacement.
Some reused timbers retained early painted decoration which included star and chevron motifs
on the arch-bracing. Rebates in the spandrels show they formerly contained decorative panels
probably consisting of tracery.