Church of St Nicholas

St Nicholas Church stands beside Rochester Cathedral in the Medway borough of Kent. Built in the early 15th century after a dispute with the Bishop of Rochester, it replaced an earlier altar within the cathedral. The present structure dates largely from 1624, when Bishop John Buckeridge rebuilt it in a style that kept Gothic tracery alive into the 17th century. The church’s survival through centuries of change makes it worth visiting. It was restored in the 1860s under Gothic Revival principles, and again in the 1970s when the Diocese converted parts into offices. The 17th-century pulpit and later pews have been removed, leaving a clear space for its current role as the Diocesan Board of Education. Visitors find a Grade I listed building with a north tower of three stages and a northwest door. Inside, Tuscan columns support five-bay arcades and the chancel arch. The churchyard holds the grave of William Coles Finch, author of local histories. Outside, buttresses frame tall windows and the tower’s belfry once held bells.