St Nicholas Church

St Nicholas Church

St Nicholas Church is the oldest place of worship in Leicester, England. Parts of the church date to around 880 CE. The church sits beside the remains of a Roman bath complex and the reuse of Roman rubble can be seen in the fabric of the church and Saxon features can still be found inside.

The remnants of a Roman column can be seen on the corner of the paths. By 1885, the church was in a very poor state, in fact the spire was long gone as there had been no money for it's repair. The church was almost set to be demolished in the 1800's and a replacement built on the site, but fortunately, enough money could not be raised. Eventually repairs and alterations were made. It is now the official church of near by Leicester University, which has in effect saved it's fortunes, as the clearing of slums in the 1950's and changes in the road layouts of the expanding city removed what little parishioners were left.