The Parish Church. 277 



coeval with the church. The south porch, of somewhat more ornate 

 but less refined character, is one of the few features of later date, 

 having been added in the fifteenth century. 



" The roofs are covered externally with the stone slates or tiles of 

 the district. 



" The Tower was at first carried up only to the string above the 

 point of the church roofs, and then probably allowed to rest for 

 twenty or thirty years — possibly more — when the bold and beautiful 

 belfry stage was erected, but still left incomplete at the top. During 

 this interval a great change was taking place in the architecture of 

 the period, and the early forms of tracery were being developed by 

 grouping two or more lancets under an arch, and piercing the 

 spandrell or tympanum above, by circles or other geometrical 

 forms. This belfry stage has buttresses of ashlar at the angles, and 

 on each face between these two large and bold windows, each con- 

 sisting of two plain lights under a pointed arch, with a quatrefoil 

 piercing in a circle above them. In the centre of each face of the 

 tower a triple attached shaft runs up between the windows, A stone 

 spiral staircase runs up in an octagonal turret or buttress attached 

 to the south-east angle of the tower. 



"There is nothing to show exactly how the tower was intended at 

 this date to be finished, but judging from what remains, and from 

 what was done in similar eases in other parts of the country about 

 the same time, it is probable that a low stone spire, with a corbel 

 course just above the great windows, would have been erected, had 

 the original design been fully carried out. 



''It may be doubted, however, whether the spire would have been 

 more effective, or more suited to the position of the church, than the 

 rich coronet of panelling and pinnacles set upon the tower in the 

 fifteenth century, and which now forms such a pleasing finish. At 

 the time this was done, the tower was raised a few feet, as is clearly 

 seen by the difference in the walling. A plain stone cornice runs 

 all round, and above this is a battlemented parapet with sunk tracery 

 panels on the face, and crocketted pinnacles at the angles, and in 

 the centre of each side of the tower. The staircase turret is carried 

 up and finished with a plain pinnacle top, and a weather vane. 



VOL. XVI. — NO. XLVIII. T 



