St Nicholas, Ickford, Buckinghamshire

St Nicholas

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WELCOME, especially if you have come from the Village web site at http://www.ickford.org.uk/ and are expecting to find a picture gallery of the Village. If anyone locally could give me more details of the history of the church, that would be most helpful! Thanks . . .

ICKFORD has a lovely old church, dedicated to St Nicholas. The date of the first church here is not known but it was probably of wooden structure built in the Saxon times. The earliest part of the present church is the chancel, the centre aisle of the nave and lower part of the tower from about 1170 to 1190. Ickford church escaped the wholesale restoration inflicted on so many medieval parish churches in the 19th century. In this case, poverty proved a blessing! Between 1902-1911, it was sensitvely and carefully restored under the direction of Mr. Oldrid Scott, who managed to preserve most of the genuine medieval features.

Gilbert Sheldon (1598 to 1677) was Rector of Ickford and later became Archbishop of Canterbury, from 1663 to 1677. He gave a lovely chalice and platter, which we have on show at the Cathedral Church at Christ Church, Oxford, as we thought it better to let people see how lovely it is.

Extract from The Buckinghamshire Village Book, ISBN 0-905392-80-9

1 - The west tower 2 - The tower from the north-west 3 - Note the gallery window between the tower and the porch. 4 - Another view of the south side of the church, showing the gallery window.

History of the village and early church

None so far!

5 & 7 - Two views showing the west end and its gallery. 6 - The Royal Arms of George IV on the front of the gallery. 8 - The west gallery with the Royal Arms.

9 - The chancel, showing the raised canopy over the altar. There is a counterweight on the north wall, which balances the weight of the vertical cover of the altar frontal storage box.

10 & 11 - The 16th century memorial, also on the north wall. It depicts American Indian art, and is an advanced concept for its time.

The Inscription is as follows:

THOMAS TIPPING ESQVIER ON WHOM GOD HATH BE

STOWED DIVERS AND SVNDRY HIS BENEFITS FROM HIS

TENDER YEARES HATH CAVSED THIS MONVMENT OF

CHRISTIAN REME’BRA’S TO BE ERECTED FOR HIM SEALF

AND MARGERET HIS ONLEY AND MOST CHAST WIFE AND

THEIR NINE CHILDREN BY GODS GREAT BLESSING BORNE

BETWENE THEM BOTH: ANNO DOMINI 1595

BY GODS APPOYNTME’T WAS I FRAMD,

FROM NAVGHT OF SLYME AND CLAY,

FROM EARTH I CAME TO EARTH I MVST,

THEREIN VNTILL THAT DAY:

FOR TO REMAINE WHEN AS THOSE PARTS,

WHICH WE CORRVPTED SEE,

SHALL SOVND AND WHOLE APPEARE BEFORE,

OVR CHRISTE ÆTERNALLEY:

MY SOVLE AND BODEY BE YOV FIXT,

ON CHRIST YOVER STRENGHT AND STAY,

HE DOTH YOV KEEP HE TO HIMSEALF,

RECALETH YOV ALLWAY:

CONTEM YE TORMENT AND DECEASE,

ALL WORLDLY CHANGE DESPISE,

FEARE NOT THE GRAVE ASSVER YOVRE SELVES,

WITH CHRIST YOVER GVIDE TO RISE:

WHO SHALL PREPARE YOV PRINCELEY SEATS,

YOVER LYGHT YOVRE LIFE YOVER CROVNE,

IS HE REWARDING ALL HIS SAYNTS,

WITH GLORY AND RENOVNE:

12 - A beaked head as decoration on the Transitional (Norman - Early English) arcade of the north aisle.

13 - An old print, taken at the turn of the century, showing the west end of the church. looking east, and with the high box-pews still fairly visible. Picture copied from a print on the vestry cupboard.

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Edwin and Sheila Macadam,
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Photographs: © Edwin Macadam

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