the plinth. The arches are very often decorated with the chevron, zigzag, and other Nor

man ornaments.

The early English doorways have the same character as the windows of the period; the smaller ones are often recessed with columns, from which a pointed arch is twined with acut moulding on it and a dripstone over it. The more important doors, however, are mostly in two divisions, separated by a pier column, and with foliated heads. These are generally grouped under one arch, springing from clustered columns on each side, and the space over the open

Fig. 1206. TATTERSHALL CASTLE.

ings is filled in, and
decorated with a qua-
trefoil, as in the door-
way to the chapter-
house at Lichfield
(fig. 1204.). Sculp-
ture often occurs in
the arrangement. The
door to the chapel of
St. Nicholas, at Lynn
(fig. 1205.), is a cu-
rious example of the
latter part of the de-
corated period. Fig.
1206., from Tatter-
shall Castle, Lincoln-
colnshire, belongs to

Fig. 1207. ST. GEORGE'S CHAPEL.

the Florid English or perpendicular period, whose simplest doorways usually had the depressed or Tudor arch, and without the square head which appears in the example. The more ornamental ones were crocketed, and terminated with finials, as appears in the face of the porch at King's College Chapel, Cambridge (fig. 1208.). The doorway at St. George's Chapel, Windsor (fig. 1207.), though later in date, is more simple than the last, notwithstanding the exuberance of ornament and tracery which had then very nearly reached its meridian.

SECT. XVII.

PORCHES.

The porch is a distinguishing feature both in ecclesiastical and domestic architecture throughout northern Europe during the whole of the mediaval period. In the case of the smaller churches it was usually attached to the north and south doors. When to the north, it was generally built of stone, while the south porch was more often of timber. In France the porches are usually of very grand proportions and of elaborate structure.

A Norman porch, with an upper story or parvise, a chamber which appears to have been variously appropriated, occurs on the north side of Southwell Minster, Nottinghamshire, and is arched (Rickman, p. 81.); and another at Sherborne, Dorsetshire, which is groined. The example at Malmesbury Abbey Church is perhaps the finest of the few that exist of this period. An early English porch with a chamber remains on the north side of St. Cross Church, Hampshire. The porch at Felkirk, in the West Riding of Yorkshire, of late early English or early decorated date, has a roof formed of stone ribs 1 foot in breadth by 10 inches in depth, plain chamfered at the angles, placed about 18 inches apart, springing from a string or impost about 4 feet from the floor. A complete illustration of this interesting example is given in Robson, Mason's Guide. The same simple plan is followed in those at Barnack, Northamptonshire, and at Middleton Cheney, Northamptonshire. The south porch at St. Mary's Uffingdon, Berkshire, is groined. This feature was extensively used in this period, as at Salisbury and Wells.

A beautiful example of a vaulted roof to a shallow porch occurs in the decorated church at Higham Ferrars, Northamptonshire (Rickman, p. 111., also giving a plain vault with richly moulded door jambs at the west porch of Raunds Church, Northamptonshire). Stone ribs are employed in the vestry or chapel at Willingham Church, Cambridgeshire (Rickman, p. 179., decorated); the chapel is 14 feet 1 inch long, and 9 feet 9 inches wide, as shown in Lysons' Cambridgeshire, p. 285. In this, and in the following, periods, the groined roof became common, and partook of all the varied enrichment exhibited in larger roofs. The porches exceed in profuseness of decoration those of the preceding style: they were almost universally adopted. The south porch of Gloucester, and the south-west porch of Canterbury are beautiful examples. In the former, canopied niches occupy the front over the doorway, the front being crowned with an embattled parapet of pierced panelling, and at the quoins are turrets embattled and finished with crocketed pinnacles.

1

1

The example here given of the shallow porch at King's College Chapel, Cambridge fiy. 1208.), is beautiful in design and in proportion. The north porch at Beverley Minster rises somewhat higher than the aisle, the upper part forming a parvise. The door has a fine feathered straight-sided canopy,

over one of ogee form, both crocketed. It is flanked with niches, buttresses, and pinnacles; the whole front is panelled and crowned with a lofty central pinnacle, having a niche. An idea of it will be gained from the illustration given as a frontispiece to the present edition. The south porch of Leverington Church, Cambridgeshire, is groined, and also has carved bosses. Over it is a parvise 10 feet 1 inch wide and 14 feet 4 inches in length. The covering (of slabs of stone?) is supported by six arched stone ribs, placed 2 feet 1 inch apart, and 9 feet 5 inches span; the rib is 4 inches wide, 6 inches in depth, and chamfered on the lower edge. It has a richly perforated stone ridge ornament. The section and details are given in Builder for 1848, p. 91, which also (iii. 598.) illustrates the south porch at North Walsham Church, Norfolk, which is lofty and open to the roof, it not having been divided into stories. It is a specimen of the mixture of flint

with stone details. The south porch of a church near Evesham, in Worcestershire; the sacristy, also at Felkirk and the porches at the churches of Strelly, in Nottinghamshire; of All Saints, at Stamford; and of Arundel, in Sussex. have interesting stone roofs.

In the case of domestic buildings. the porch, as at Wingfield Manor House, Derbyshire, has a story over the entrance, differing from those at Eltham, Croydon, Cowdray (which has an elaborate groined stone roof), and

many others, having only one story. That at Porchester Cas le hall was the whole height of the building, having a room above the entrance to the hall, which was elevated on a basement story, and was reached by a flight of steps occupying the lower story of the porch. At Dartington Manor House, Derbyshire, and at East Barsham, Norfolk, there are two stories above the entrance, an arrangement frequently observed in similar erections, as at Thorpland Hall, Norfolk, and at Eastbury House, Essex, erected cir. 1572. From the architectural prominence given to this feature in domestic buildings, the designation "porch house" was often employed.

Fig. 1209.

So very exceptional is the use of brickwork in England in medieval work, at any rate until the common brick porches, which were added in the 17th century, that we are induced to notice one of the many examples in this material executed abroad, in Germany especially. The north porch of Lübeck Cathedral (fig. 1209.), is described by G. E. Street, as "a 13th century addition, of two bays in depth, with groining piers of clustered shafts with sculptured capitals, and a many-shafted doorway of the best character. Its interior is probably mainly of stone, but the exterior is all of brick. The archway is boldly moulded, and above it is a horizontal arcaded corbel table, stepped up in the centre to admit the arch The gable is boldly arcaded upon shafts, and has a stepped corbel table, with a double line of moulded bricks above it next to the tiles. A couple of simple open

arches are pierced in each side wall, and there are flat pilasters at the angles. In the gable, enclosed within the arcading, are some circular openings, one of which is cusped with small foliations formed of brick. The moulded bricks in the main arch are of two kinds only, one a large boltel, the other a large hollow, and these arranged alternately with plain square-edged bricks, produce as much variety as is needful. The jamb of the doorway is of plain bricks, built with square recesses, in which detached stone shafts are placed. The capitals throughout are of stone, and carved with simple foliage. Perhaps no other example is more completely all that it should be in the use of its materials. The exterior is simple in all its details, yet sufficiently enriched by their skilful arrangement to be thoroughly effective; whilst in the interior, where more adornment was naturally required, brick is frankly abandoned, and the ricnly moulded and sculptured ribs and archivolts are all of stone, though I have no doubt the vaulting and walls are, as on the outside, of brick. The only tracery which can be properly executed in brick is in fact the simplest plate tracery (and even this requires great skill and care in its execution), or that simple fringe of cusping round an opening which occurs in the porch, and which may be executed with ease with a single pattern of moulded brick often repeated." Church Builder, 1863, p. 56. We have somewhat altered the arched entrance as shown in Mr. Street's sketch, understanding that this porch has been lately restored in this manner.

SECT. XVIII.

TOWERS AND SPIRES.

Europe has been considered by J. H. Parker, Transactions of the Institute of British Architects, to be indebted to Caen and its neighbourhood for that very interesting feature, the Gothic spire of stone. He has also traced its history from the low pyramid of Thaon

12.11

Fig. 1211.
SECTION OF SPIRE.

Church, Normandy, dating about the end of the 11th century, shown in fig. 1210., whereof the stones are left rough within and overhang one another, while at the base a large piece of timber was introduced as if to bind the whole together (fig. 1211.), which has now entirely decayed. The apex has also decayed or been removed. The spires of Comornes near Bayeux; Basly near Caen, middle of 12th century; and Rosel, are of the same character, and are followed by those at Huppeau nar Bayeux, which is considerably taller, but of about the same date; Vaucelles, near Caen; St. Loup, near Bayeux; St. Contest, near Caen; and Bougy, which is of a fine transitional character, as is that at Douvres; the small square spires at the east end of St. Stephen's at Caen; and the elegant lofty octagonal spire with square pinnacles at Duey, which is a little earlier than the eleOn that gant western spires of St. Stephen's at Caen. building are altogether eight spires, varying in date from one of about the middle of the 12th century on a stair turret; the two pairs of early Gothic work of the choir to the light western spires which possess pinnacles of open work at the angles and in the centre of each face; these date about 1250. The fine spire on St. Peter's Church, at Caen, dates at the beginning of the 14th century, and is commonly quoted as the perfection of a spire (figs. 1212. 1213.). It is octagonal, with openings pierced in the flat sides. That of St. Saviour's is later and not so good. Nearly all the spires in this district have the surface of the stone cut to imitate shingles, a clear proof of their having had a timber prototype. The spires at Bayeux Cathedral were probably being built at the same time as those at St. Stephen's Church, which they resemble. Secqueville Church has one of nearly the same date.

Fig. 1210. THAON, NORMANDY.

12.0.

Of later date are the spires at Bretteville, Bernières, and Langrune, coming up to the middle of the 13th century. They are all of elegant design, and light construction. After these are the unfinished spires of Norrey and Audrieu, closing the century. Illustrations of several of these buildings will be found in Britton's Normandy. Mr. Fergusson considers that the spire took its origin from the gable termination seen in some early foreign towers.

A chronological sketch of the gradual development of the spire in Germany, has lately been attempted by W. H. Brewer, in the Builder for 1865, to which we can here only refer the reader, as well as for its very peculiar illustrations.

Fig. 1214. WARMINGTON.

In England, during the Norman period the west end of the larger churches sometimes had towers terminating the aisles. Another tower rose from the intersection of the cross (the smaller churches had but this one), while it was only of suffi cient elevation to break the long line of nave, choir, and transepts, all of equal height. The roofs of the towers were of but little higher pitch than the rest. The nearest approach to spires, in form if not in height, were found in the pinnacles surmounting the angle buttresses in the larger churches. During the early English period, towers rise to a greater elevation, and are very generally finished with a. spire, some30ft. times of great height. The most frequent spire is that called a broach when it does not rise from within parapets, but is carried up on four of its sides from the top of the square tower, the diagonal faces resting on squinches, or arches thrown across the corners within, and finished on the outside in a slope, as shown in fig. 1214. of Warmington Church, Northamptonshire, which has been published in detail by W. Caveler. A great many spires consisted of wooden frames, covered with lead or with shingles; and these in general, as well as stone spires in a few instances, were connected with the tower in a different way; the spire itself being at first only four-sided, and the angles being canted off a little above the base, to form the octagon. The early English spire, completed in 1222, to Old St. Paul's Cathedral was the highest in Europe, being 500 feet high, according to Stow, or 489 feet as calculated by Mr. E. B. Ferrey.

10

Fig. 1212.

20

ST. PETER'S AT CAEN.

Fig. 1213.

In the decorated period, Heckington Church, Lincolnshire, one of the most beautiful and perfect models in the kingdom shows, says Rickman, "a very lofty tower and spire situated at the west end (fig. 1215.), the four pinnacles which crown the tower are large and pentagonal. This unusual shape has, at less cost, an effect fully equal to an octagon, and the pinnacles are without crockets, but have rich finials; the spire is plain, with three tiers of windows on the alternate sides. The whole arrangement of this steeple is peculiarly calculated for effect at a distance." The details of this work are given in Bowman and Crowther's useful publication. The elaborately arranged octagon at Ely Cathedral, the design of Alan de Walsingham, is of this period. The work entitled Churches of the Archdeaconry of Northamptonshire, 1849, illustrates in small pictorial views several of the fine lofty west towers and spires of this and the succeeding period, erected in that locality.

The perpendicular period is distinguished by the splendour and loftiness of its towers and spires. That at Salisbury, for example, rises to the height of about 387 feet. That at Norwich, rebuilt soon after 1361, is 318 feet high. St. Michael's spire, at Coventry, built 1373-95, is the most beautiful one in the kingdom; it does not rise, like those at Salisbury and Norwich, from the centre of a transeptal church, but from the ground; and its flying buttresses and extremely taper form, give it great advantage over every spire which rises from within battlements. The broach is not unfrequent in this style, and examples are chiefly to be found in Northamptonshire. Of other remarkable spires of

this style we should name Whittlesea, in Cambridgeshire (fig. 1216); Rushdon, in Northamptonshire; the two spires of St. Mary and St. Alkmund, at Shrewsbury; I aughton-en-le-Morthen, in Yorkshire; Chester-le-Street, in Durham; and finally, Louth, in Lincolnshire, of which latter structure the building accounts are given in the Archæologia, vol. x., showing its completion between 1501 and 1518.

The spire of the tower of St. Nicholas Church, at Newcastle-upon-Tyne, from its pecu liarity of standing on arched ribs, holds a high place in the series; it is the type of which there are various imitations. The best known are St. Giles's, at Edinburgh; the church at Linlithgow; the college tower at Aberdeen, and its modern imitation by Sir C. Wren at St. Dunstan's-in-the- East Church, in London. Of another class of towers of this period, that of Fotheringay Church is the type. The ordinary square tower is surmounted by an octagonal lantern of much smaller dimensions, connected with the tower, in composition,

by flying buttresses from the bases of the angle pinnacles. The tower of All Saints' Church, at Derby, has deservedly a very high reputation (fig. 1217.). It is late in the style; as is also the fine detached campanile at Evesham. The tower of St. Peter Mancroft, at Norwich, is a good specimen of flint building with stone panels. The most remarkable of the perpendicular towers, both in itself and for its influence in the ecclesiastical architecture of a large district, is that of Gloucester, erected about 1455. This noble tower rises above 200 feet from the ground and about 100 feet above the roof of the choir. It is surmounted by a crenellated parapet flanked by four turret-like pinnacles, all of delicate open work, to the very finials, of a light and graceful character almost beyond the natural capacity of stonework. Among the more important imitations of it are St. John's, at Glastonbury; St. Stephen's, at Bristol; St. Mary, at Taunton; and that at North Petherton; the two last are said to have been designed by the same architect.

Beacons were sometimes added to towers; such is the lantern of All Saints' Pavement,

at York, which is an octagon erected upon the tower. Hadleigh Church, in Essex, bas a beacon in an iron framework placed on the top of an angle turret.

By far the finest west front, comprising two towers of the perpendicular period, is that of Beverley Minster. What the west front of York is to the decorated style, this is to the perpendicular, with the addition, that in this front nothing but one style is seen-all is harmonious. (See frontispiece, fig. 1218.) Each of the towers has four large and eight