Why and how did St Nicholas' church change?

In 1858 it was decided to rebuild the Church. The Vicar, George Townsend Fox, had lots of ideas about how he wanted the church to look. One of the things he insisted on was a spire rather than a tower. He felt so strongly about this that he paid the extra expense himself and even bought a neighbouring building so that he could demolish it and make the Church look nicer in the Market Place.

Let's see how the new church and old church compare. Look at the image below and then fill in the other column of your table so you can compare the answers.

 

Engraving of St Nicholas's Church, c. 1859. (DCRO ref: EP/Du.SN 4/109). Click on image to enlarge.

	1830	post-1858
1. Does the church have a steeple or a spire?
2. What shape is the alcove around the clock?
3. Can you see any stained glass windows?
4. How many arches are there along the front of the church?

 

So we know how the building changed in appearance. Let's see what else we can find out by looking at an example of a church record.