Church of St Nicholas
Church of England (Anglican)
High Bradfield, Yorkshire, England, UK
A simple two-cell Norman church was built on the spot of the current church
in 1109. A bell-tower was added in the 1300s, before the church was rebuilt
in Gothic Perpendicular style in the 1480s. After being pillaged in the
Reformation and Civil War, the interior was restored something like its
original appearance. The sunken vestry originally sheltered visiting priests.
A watch house was built at the church gates in 1831 to combat body snatchers.
Until 1868, St Nicholas was a chapel of ease in the parish of Ecclesfield
St Mary.
St Nicholas's Church at High Bradfield has a good claim to be the prettiest church in South Yorkshire. It dates from 1487 and stands at 260 m above sea level. The village lies beyond the churchyard. Behind and above the church is Bailey Hill. Beyond the churchyard lie spectacular views of the Peaks.
Photographs: Aidan Simons, Pilgrimage Pages http://www.thepilgrims.org.uk