This will be the last of my posts about the Withernsea Improvement Co.. The drawing/lithograph above shows St. Nicholas church, Withernsea in a state of considerable dereliction, this drawn in the mid 19th century. I think this drawing is included in some editions of Poulson’s book (s.p.b.s), but am not sure. Although not clear in the scan, beyond the east end of the chancel may be seen two tents with flags flying from the central tent pole and just a little bit of the corner of the hotel (s.p.b.s) built as part of the Withernsea Improvement Plan, this dating the the drawing more accurately. Bannister (s.p.b.s) was determined to repair the church as many holiday makers of the day would see church attendance on holiday as important as when at home.
In fact St. Nicholas church had been ruinous and, presumably, disused since the early 17th century when the roofs of tower, nave and chancel had been torn-off in a great storm. The church had only been built in the late 15th century to replace St. Mary’s then lost to coastal erosion. This one of a number of churches lost to coastal erosion as highlighted in an early 20th century booklet compiled by Thomas Sheppard, first curator of Hull Museums.
In 1858 Withernsea church was restored according to designs by the relatively young Cuthbert Brodrick. The new works included a new south porch and north-side vestry, Perpendicular tracery and glazing in the window openings and a parapet added to the top of the West tower, as well, presumably, as new roofs. The cobble and freestone walls of the medieval church had largely survived.
Ironically St. Nicholas’ stands disused again today, the congregation being insufficient to justify ongoing maintenance.
Clearly the settlement of Withernsea moved west after the loss of St. Mary’s to where the new ‘inland’ church was built.
(I may entitle myself to a week or so off as Heritage Week commitments are looming, I have had some domestic problems and the revised website is soon to be launched. Also my re-walking of the Humber bank is not progressing very fast).