24.2 Downton Church. 
shafts. In the north wall of the north transept there is a recessed 
tomb, of the fourteenth century, with a fine cusped arch and ogee 
canopy, but much mutilated, and in the cast wall an early Decorated 
piscina. The transept arches, or north and south tower arches, have 
been restored with shafts of Early English character, incorrectly, 
as I believe: they appear to be late Decorated work, of a common 
type, in which the arch mouldings were continued without break 
down the jamb: they have been cut through the walls, as I men- 
tioned above, and, as the transepts are Early English, must have had 
predecessors, probably small, and very likely Norman. 
There are, in the east walls of the transepts, some good two-light 
windows of Perpendicular character, but without the vertical element 
in the tracery—one in the south transept, and two in the north— 
which probably succeeded Early English lancets: one of these 
windows, next the chancel, is ornamented on the outside with carved 
foliage, at the springing of the tracery, which is uncommon.? The 
roofs of the transepts are Perpendicular, and very plain. Externally, 
the original Early English gable crosses have been replaced on the 
transepts, that on the north transept being the richest of the two. 
The gable of the south transept has a very heavy coping.’ 
The west tower arch seems to have been a good deal restored, so 
that it is not clear what the original design was: the treatment is 
Early English. The east tower arch is richly moulded, and the 
jambs have clustered shafts: it seems to have been faithfully re- 
stored, and is a fine specimen of Early English work. The chancel, 
into which this arch opened, was no doubt much lower than the 
1 All the old tower arches were mutilated, and obstructed by modern sub- 
arches introduced to support Lord Radnor’s tower: the east and west arches 
appear to have been Early English, and the north and south much later work. 
2There is an appearance, at first sight, as if the adjacent turret, being part 
of the work of the chancel, had been built against the jamb of this window ; 
but this is apparent only, as the window is later in style. It was of course 
possible to insert the window latest, and a head which forms a stop to the hood 
moulding of the window, where it meets the turret, seems to be worked with the 
window, and not added, which is conclusive. 
* This looks early, but I cannot tell the date. 
Ve. oe a 
Yr 
