Sidmouth Parish Church - Reordering

In August 2008 Sidmouth Parochial Church Council was given permission to reorder the nave and side aisles of the church and create a new altar platform at the East end of the nave. The project included laying a new stone floor to replace the old wooden pew platforms, giving level access throughout. New redwood benches were specially designed to replace the worm-eaten pews and preserve the look of the Victorian church, but had better designed seats. New heating and lighting systems were also installed, the latter being designed to enhance the architectural features of the church and enable more atmospheric effects to be created. The new space created around the nave altar was intended to give more space and flexibility for the church to be used for musical and other events.

The work was carried out during 2009 by Ellis and Co, a well-respected West Country firm of conservation builders. The building was vacated after the Easter Festival Eucharist and the congregation returned on December 13th just in time to celebrate Christmas, having in the meantime been offered generous hospitality at Sidmouth Methodist Church. At the Feast of the Epiphany 2010, on one of the coldest nights of the year with inches of snow lying on the ground, the Bishop of Exeter came to celebrate the re-opening of the church and consecrated the new altar.

Archaeological Discoveries With the old wooden floor lifted in May, the outlines of the earlier church could be seen. The remains of the 15th Century church have been revealed, with a nave and large North Aisle. Below that was an earlier 13th or 14th Century church with a smaller aisle and, very excitingly, a Norman church beneath that again, built with beach boulders and packed with shingle. It had a nave and tower and small transepts were also added to make the design similar to Branscombe Church, further East along the coast.

On 13th December 2009 - just after the 750th Anniversary of the Dedication of the Church to St Nicholas on 6th December 1259 - we returned to the beautifully refurbished church, ready to begin a new chapter in its long life of service to the people of Sidmouth.

The cost of this project has been over £600,000 and there is still opportunity to contribute to it. If you would like to, please follow the link.

Photos of the Work

Archaeological discoveries: Footings of the medieval walls and remains of the Norman church made with beach boulder material.

Pictures of the completed church just before Christmas 2009: The new altar furniture; the nave; the north aisle showing the new movable benches; the rood and new chancel colouring.