26 Transactions of the 



on the evening of Easter Monday, 1786, the masonry at the north- 

 west angle of the west tower gave way, and, in consequence, the tower 

 itself came down, involving the whole of tlie west front in destruction. 

 This misfortune could not have happened at a more unfavourable 

 time, owing to the low ebb to which architectural taste had fallen. 

 £13,000 were expended on the restoration, and the architect is said 

 to have declared it to have been the cheapest piece of work he had ever 

 done. As an instance of the manner in which it was carried out, I may 

 mention that no attempt was made to lengthen out the nave to its original 

 proportions, so that as the western arches were totally crushed by the 

 fall of the tower, the original length of the church has been reduced 

 15ft., the span of the eighth arch. This disproportionate shortness 

 of the nave still constitutes a grave defect in the appearance of the 

 church. 



However, a second and more efficient restoration was commenced 

 in 1858, under the superintendence of Sir Gilbert Scott, the result of 

 which has been the complete renovation of Bishop Booth's porch, 

 the north and south-east transepts, the Lady Chapel, the cloisters, 

 Audry Chapel, and other parts of the building, which had all been 

 in more or less advanced stages of decay. 



Among the points in the architectural features of this Cathedral 

 Church most worthy of notice, the north porch is one of the most 

 interesting, having been built by Bishop Booth, in 1530, in the rich 

 late perpendicular style, at a time when it had been superseded by the 

 debased style in most parts of England. It is constructed of four 

 clusters of pillars supporting as many pointed arches ; these pillars 

 are 6ft. in height, and rise 12ft. from the level of the capitals to the 

 crown of the arch. It is fitted on to the more ancient porch of the 

 Cathedral, which is of a simpler description. The choir is separated 

 from the nave and transepts by a metallic rod screen, which has been 

 considered the finest and largest piece of architectural metal work 

 ever executed. It consists of five arches, each subdivided by a 

 slender shaft ; of these the central one forms the entrance, those on 

 either side are filled in with panels of tracery to a height of 4ft., 

 while the heads of the arches and tlie spandrils between them are 

 enriched by elaborate tracery, consisting mainly of flowers and leafage. 

 The height of this screen is 16ft., the breadth 36ft. The shafts of 

 the smaller columns are made of brass : the capitals, figures, and 

 cornice, of iron. The iron work forming the foliage, as well as some 

 of the brass work, is painted; but no colours have been employed 

 excepting the oxydes of the metals used : the copper is left through- 

 out its natural colour. 



In the south aisle of the choir there is preserved a curious map of 

 the world, drawn on thick vellum, and believed to be the most ancient 

 one in existence. It is most probably as old as the 13th century, and 

 is the work of a monk belonging to the Cathedral Church, and Arch- 

 deacon of Hereford. On the left side Augustus C;i3sar is represented 

 as sending forth three philosophers, named Zichodoxus, Theodotus, 



