248 | Britford Church. 
brick arch. These project from the face of the wall, and the pilasters 
are let into mortices' cut in the base and impost. It is therefore 
clear that these pilasters cannot have been added after the arch was 
in position.? In the illustration in Parker’s Rickman the edge of 
the pilasters is shown, and they appear to have imposts of their own, 
distinct from the rest of the jambs, but this is not the case. The 
divisions in the imposts are not joints but cracks, due to the settle- 
ment of the jambs, which caused the resistance of the pilasters to 
break the impost. A narrow strip of stone, projecting like a hood- 
moulding, ran round the arch, and was continued down to the 
ground, forming a limit to the ornament of the archway, the width 
of the arch itself having apparently determined the design. The 
included portion of the jamb, being constructed mainly of stone, was 
decorated by three bricks, projecting, but with less projection than 
the base, impost, and limiting strip. These are hardly indicated in 
the illustration above-mentioned. The soffit of the arch is orna- 
mented with three squares of stone which do not project. These 
appear to have been built with the arch and not inserted. We have 
thus in this arch a rude attempt at decoration by contrast of colour 
and form. 
This system of decoration is greatly developed in the north arch. 
Tn its case the pilasters are not let into mortices, but held up by the 
strength of the mortar and the pressure on the impost. They have 
base-mouldings, above which those on the east jamb are elaborately 
ornamented with carving, representing apparently a vine. The arch 
is constructed with rectangular pieces of stone and red tiles in a 
very remarkable manner, the latter forming the back of sunk panels, 
and also being disposed in a cruciform pattern amongst the stone. 
Two of the lowest stones of the arch are formed like corbels for 
some use which I do not understand. These tiles and stones, set 
with their broad surfaces in a direction tangential to the curve of 
1This looks as if the builders were more used to building with timber than 
stone. 
2 The arch itself has been pronounced Roman, that is, earlier than these pilasters. 
If this were so, it would follow that it must have been moved bodily and placed 
upon the jambs. 
ae, ee ee 
| 
. 
