St Nicholas' Church, Stevenage

The earliest settlement in Stevenage was on the site of the present St Nicholas' Church. This Saxon village of wooden huts may have been centered around a small wooden church on a hilltop, or may have been a more scattered collection of farmsteads. It was at this time that the name "Stevenage" emerged, with early variants including "Stigenace" and "Stithenace" in the 11th century, the meaning of which is generally accepted as "at the stiff or strong oak", though some scholars favour "at the strong gate". In Saxon times, England was divided into parishes, each with its church and a rector or vicar. The boundaries of Stevenage parish were defined at about 1100 and were unchanged for 850 years. The church in this time was enlarged and embellished. Parishes were organised into dioceses; Stevenage was in the Diocese of Lincoln. At this time, England was part of the Roman Catholic Church in Europe. though perhaps as early as 1100), a thick-walled and set into lime mortar. which is now the oldest part of the church. The church was remote from the main settlement of Stevenage but also served many hamlets and farmsteads. Alleyne was a Protestant, and Stevenage was probably Protestant in its outlook, as much of Hertfordshire was at this time. Stevenage became part of the Diocese of London. During the English Civil War, the church suffered the loss of stained glass windows, murals were whitewashed and ornaments were destroyed by Roundhead supporters. In 1841, the number of seats in the church was increased from 314 to 634, but this was still inadequate as the population of Stevenage was 1850. especially as they would often find the church was full. In 1877, Stevenage was placed in the Diocese of St Albans. Stevenage was designated the first new town in 1946 (the first new town built in England following World War II). Those concerned with the new town realised that new centres for people to meet were needed to create a sense of community, so several new churches were to be built. In 1955, the Reverend Eric Cordingly became rector of Stevenage and led the development and reorganisation of the Church of England in Stevenage. Each neighbourhood of the town would have its own church building and priest-in-charge, and there would be one large, centrally located church as the parish church for the town, St George's (later St Andrew and St George's), to which the title of rector would be attached. St Nicholas' and its daughter church, the Holy Trinity, became daughter churches of St George's, leading to sarcastic remarks that the daughter was older than the mother, and resentment that the ancient church had been casually demoted. In 1970, the ecclesiastical parish of Stevenage was divided into seven parishes, each with its own church and vicar (though St George's retained the title of rector), so St Nicholas' regained its parish church status. In 1998, the benefice of St Nicholas was joined with that of St Mary, Graveley. ==Clergy==

The earliest known rector of Stevenage is Nicholas Fitz-Simon, who was appointed in 1213. Notable incumbents who left their mark on the town include Stephen Hellard, who bequeathed a set of almshouses to the town, rent-free, provided the residents commended his soul to God every day, In 1960, the new parish church of St George was consecrated and St Nicholas became a district church in the care of a priest-in-charge. In 1970, the parish of Stevenage was divided into seven separate parishes, and St Nicholas regained its status as a parish church, with the incumbent having the title of vicar. In 1998, the benefice of St Nicholas was joined with that of St Mary, Graveley, so from that date, each incumbent was vicar of St Nicholas and St Mary. ==Architecture and fittings==

The church now comprises the tower, an entrance porch, nave, north and south aisles, choir, Lady chapel, Trinity chapel and vestry. The square-shaped font dates to the early 13th century and has a medieval carved wooden cover. It measures by and is aligned about ° west of north. The church is entirely embattled. The wooden church attached to the 12th century stone tower was replaced in the 13th century. Aisles were added circa 1230, The interior was decorated with paintings and stained glass, and it had a decorated roof and a gilded and painted screen between the chancel and the nave. Faint traces of murals dating to this period can still be seen. Following this, repairs were carried out to the tower; the spire was repaired and re-leaded, the battlements were restored, a cornice was run around the tower, the windows and doors were repaired and the whole surface of the tower was repaired. In 1841, the north-east vestry, south transept (since converted to a parish room) and south porch were added, The entire ceiling was coloured to resemble oak; the chancel ceiling of plain plaster was taken down and renewed with transverse beams supported by angels painted in fresco. Two concealed windows were discovered in the chancel with the mullions and tracery nearly perfect, as were the remains of three sedilia and a double piscina. In 1914, the rector, Canon Molony, set about to restore the church where "the rain has been streaming down the inside walls in the south-west corner of the transept and the boarding of the nave has required further temporary repairs in order to save people from going through the flooring." The south aisle was enlarged at around this time. The church also contains six 14th- or 15th-century oak misericords, including one with a carved image of a woman with a branks in her mouth (though sometimes interpreted as a Green Man) and another of an angel. Three of the others have foliage carved on them, and the sixth is plain. An organ was installed in 1836, and it was enlarged in 1858, however, a new organ was erected in 1885. Alterations were made in the church for the new organ and new choir stalls. A carved reredos dates from 1890. and the parish room was refurbished in the 2010s with a kitchen and two upstairs toilets. ==Memorials==

St Nicholas' Church has been called "unremarkable" within the county of Hertfordshire in that it has fewer medieval monuments and memorials than other parishes. It contains six visible surviving monuments from the Middle Ages, five of them were brasses set into stone slabs. The only surviving brass is a memorial to Stephen Hellard, who was rector of Stevenage from 1472 until his death in 1506, and is buried in the church. The brass is in the north of the altar and shows Hellard dressed as a priest in his vestments. It was inscribed while Hellard was alive with a space left for his death date, but the inscription was not completed. The remaining brasses are missing with only indents remaining on the slabs and the details of any inscriptions were never recorded. The sixth is a late-13th century stone effigy of a lady with hands raised in prayer at the east end of the north aisle. It is described as one of the "less common but most fascinating sepulchral devices". It is fragmented into four parts. There is no evidence as to the lady's identity, and it is not known whether the effigy would have originally been set on top of a tomb or within a wall. Above the door in the north aisle is a memorial tablet, described as the most stylish of the church's memorials, to Lieutenant Jellicoe Turner and his wife Georgiana Elizabeth Turner, who died in 1844 and 1831 respectively. Lt. Turner had paid for the church organ and tower repairs in 1836. Each of the nine stained glass windows contains a monumental inscription. and marks the entrance to Forster Country. It is the world's only monument to Forster. The monument was commissioned by the Friends of the Forster Country, funded jointly by Stevenage Borough Council and Hertfordshire County Council, and unveiled by Stevenage's then MP, Barbara Follett, on 29 November 1997. The title is in acknowledgement of the subtitle of Forster's novel Howards End. It was carved in Watts Cliff Stone, a Millstone Grit rich in plagioclase which gives it a lilac colour, from a quarry near Elton, Derbyshire. ==Graffiti==

St Nicholas' Church contains a "surprising" number of drawings on its pillars, giving insight into the minds of the medieval inhabitants of Stevenage. The graffiti has been described as among the finest of their kind in Hertfordshire, if not in all the "chalk churches" in eastern England, and can be regarded as just as important as the plague writings of Ashwell church's graffiti. The graffiti in the nave could date to as early as the 12th century, while some probably dates to the 17th or 18th century. They are in the form of masons' marks, geometric designs, human figures, shields, crosses and writing. ==Churchyard==

The churchyard has existed since the original church was on the same site. It has been enlarged several times. In 1862, about of land was purchased by parishioners and added to the churchyard. Further land was added on the eastern side of the churchyard c.1895. The monumental inscriptions in the churchyard (and within the church) have been recorded three times, in 1908, 1962 and 1985. In 1985, 1,275 inscriptions were recorded in the churchyard, and a further 19 were recorded in 1962 that were not found in 1985. Among those buried in the churchyard are Albert and Ebenezer Fox. There are a small number of war graves, maintained by the War Graves Commission. The churchyard is in a conservation area Other trees planted in the churchyard include large-leaved lime, Swedish whitebeam, Norway maple, copper beech, English oak, hornbeam, false acacia, Indian bean, Turkey oak, ornamental crab, white cherry and mountain ash, many of which were planted in memory of various people. The churchyard is maintained by the church from bequests and contributions from the parishioners and Stevenage Borough Council. ==References==