Publications
Dede of Pittie, Dramatic Scenes Reflecting the History of Christ's Hospital and Offered in Celebration of the Quatercentenary 1953 at the Fortune Theatre, by Nick Plumley, published 1953 (Christ's Hospital) accessible at: West Sussex Libraries
Samuel Taylor Coleridge and Christ's Hospital: catalogue of bicentenary exhibition, by N. M. Plumley, published 1972 (pamphlet) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 5349]
Royal Mathematical School within Christ's Hospital 1673-1973, Tercentenary Exhibition, by N. M. Plumley, published 1973 (Christ's Hospital) accessible at: West Sussex Libraries
Organs and Music Masters of Christ's Hospital, by N. M. Plumley, published 1981 (Christ's Hospital Papers, Christ's Hospital) accessible at: West Sussex Libraries
Christ's Hospital in Photographs, by Nicholas Plumley, published 1985 (Christ's Hospital Papers, Christ's Hospital) accessible at: West Sussex Libraries
Christ's Hospital: A Short History, by Nick Plumley, published 1986 (pamphlet, Crampton & Sons) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 15622] & West Sussex Libraries
A History of Chichester Cathedral Organ, by Nicholas Plumley, published September 1986 in West Sussex History, the Journal of West Sussex Archives Society (no. 35, article, p.8) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 16404/35] & The Keep [LIB/500481]
The Organs and Organists of Chichester Cathedral, by Nicholas Plumley, published 1 June 1988 (booklet, 64 pp., Chichester: Phillimore & Co. Ltd., ISBN-10: 0850336643 & ISBN-13: 9780850336641) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 9999] & West Sussex Libraries
Abstract:The book details the history of three organs, and provides a complete account of the organists, warts and all. Chichester has had its quota of eccentrics, but, equally, its record of distinguished musicians is evident. No matter how good the instrument, its sensitive and liturgical use depends on the organist's understanding of the role of the music within worship.
Christ's Hospital in Photograph's 2, The Decades of Change, by Nicholas Plumley, published 1990 (Christ's Hospital Papers, Christ's Hospital) accessible at: West Sussex Libraries
St John's Chapel, Chichester, Sussex, by Nicholas Plumley, published 1998 (pamphlet, Churches Conservation Trust) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 14746] & West Sussex Libraries
Arundel Church with the Fitzalan Chapel: a brief history, by Nick Plumley, published 28 June 2014 (44 pp., The History Press, ISBN-10: 1841655678 & ISBN-13: 9781841655673) accessible at: West Sussex Libraries
Review by David Parsons in Sussex Past & Present no. 134, December 2014:This nicely produced guide is on the whole well balanced, with sections on the 'new' church of the 1380s, the Reformation and its effects, the church in the early modern period, 19th-century and more recent restorations or reorderings, and the contentious history of the Fitzalan Chapel (structurally the chancel of the medieval church). The various complexities are lucidly explained, and the author avoids getting bogged down in too much detail. However, the less than two pages devoted to the development of the church from Anglo-Saxon minster to Norman priory and then to a college of secular clergy comes across as rather breathless. The importance of the substantial reuse of carved stones from an earlier church is given rather short shrift; the caption to the two illustrations of such pieces gives no hint of their date or significance.
The text is interspersed with a number of mini-essays on topics ranging from wall painting to bells, easily identified as 'extras' by being reversed out against a darkish blue background. There are over 75 high-quality illustrations, including a clear coloured plan and several historical drawings, which contribute valuable information about the state of the church at various dates. One of these, a 1771 engraving by Benjamin Green, contributes to the debate about whether the building was rendered externally or not. The source of this engraving is given, but it is a matter of some regret that the other historical illustrations are devoid of any attribution other than their date; ideally one would expect to be told the name of the artist and the source, or the location in the case of unpublished unique items.
Such criticisms apart, this is an attractive, informative, well-written and well-produced booklet, on which the author (whose name is modestly hidden in the small print inside the back cover), the Friends of St Nicholas Church and the publisher are to be congratulated.
The text is interspersed with a number of mini-essays on topics ranging from wall painting to bells, easily identified as 'extras' by being reversed out against a darkish blue background. There are over 75 high-quality illustrations, including a clear coloured plan and several historical drawings, which contribute valuable information about the state of the church at various dates. One of these, a 1771 engraving by Benjamin Green, contributes to the debate about whether the building was rendered externally or not. The source of this engraving is given, but it is a matter of some regret that the other historical illustrations are devoid of any attribution other than their date; ideally one would expect to be told the name of the artist and the source, or the location in the case of unpublished unique items.
Such criticisms apart, this is an attractive, informative, well-written and well-produced booklet, on which the author (whose name is modestly hidden in the small print inside the back cover), the Friends of St Nicholas Church and the publisher are to be congratulated.