Arrington grew up just off the Roman Road of Ermine Street, a Saxon settlement developing where the church was later built. In the 17th century, the village spread along the road itself, around a former coaching inn, and is now home to a population of 400.
The church was founded in the Saxon period; the village is mentioned in the Domesday Book, and the church is recorded in 1087. The present building was built largely in the 13th century, with a surprisingly large and elaborate chancel, and a nave that was once aisled; the outline of the north and south arcades are clearly visible outside, when they were bricked up in the 16th or 17th centuries.
The windows in the chancel are the originals, in the early Early Gothic style with Y and intersecting tracery. Those in the nave are a mix of Decorated and Perpendicular Gothic, reset from the aisles. The tower is also 13th century, but the upper bell chamber was rebuilt in brick in the 16th century.
The interior is a single space, heavily whitewashed, with no chancel arch. There is a tub font, charming primitive benches, and a small 19th Century organ; but the star of the show is the double piscina, with two intersecting arches, similar to that in the Chapel of Jesus College, Cambridge.
The church hosts a Communion service on two Sundays a month, a weekly Morning Prayer and an additional service in the nearby Community Hall. It is open daily, throughout the year, for visits and prayer.
St Nicholas, Church Lane, Arrington SG8 0BH
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