St Nicholas church dates back to the 13th century and along the way has needed much attention. It is a testament to the villagers of Gayton that it has been so cherished for 700 years and remains so today.
The needs of the building though are numerous and the burden falling on the congregation is very onerous. It is with great thanks then, in particular to the Heritage Lottery Fund and Historic England (previously known as English Heritage) that we have been able to complete some major repair works in recent years.
Work in progress
2014/15. A great deal of work was completed to the nave and south aisle roofs, as well as overhauling rainwater goods, relaying drains and repairing the south aisle buttress.
The beams of the Nave roof were suffering badly from damage by death watch beetle and further work will be required in the not too distance future as those little creatures (beetles) are also munching away under the pew platforms and evidence has also recently been discovered of live dry rot!
Signs of Dry Rot in the pew platforms.
2020/2021. The Church was very fortunate in receiving a bequest from the late Mr Geoff Meek which allowed it to complete some interior re-ordering to allow more flexible seating and improved heating.
Sadly the old Victorian pews had signs of dry rot and death watch beetle and had to be removed. ( Though the oldest "pauper pews" were saved in the North nave). After this the earth layer beneath the platforms was dug out and deep insulation added before being finished with replica aged yellow bricks in a herringbone pattern.
However, the needs of the congregations and in particular the scholl children, the central nave area was carpeted. New seating was introduced with individual upholstered chairs allowing for more diverse seating arrangements.
This meant some ledger stones were covered ( as previously) but they have been carefully recorded and composite photo's are shown below.
At the same time this was happening, the electrical system was upgraded and new microwave heaters installed. The church now is much more comfortable and welcoming.
