32 The Parish Church of S. Michael, Mere. 
the inside wall of the previous aisle was in a line with the face of 
the north jamb of the arch communicating with the chapel, and 
the rough facing between this and the present wall indicates the 
point from which the wall was removed, whilst the drip-course over 
the arch marks the line of its roof. 
The work of the aisle very closely resembles that of the north 
chapel, and the same plinth-course is continued through both, but 
there is sufficient difference to indicate some progress in the change 
of taste which was so rapid at this period: thus, although the two 
north windows of the aisle correspond with those of the chapel in 
form, in number of lights, and in the reticulation of the tracery, it 
will be seen that the arches to the lights are of ogee form, instead 
of two-centred, and have trefoil cusping; the inner arch has a 
cavetto instead of the wave-mould, and the labels of all three 
windows in this aisle have circular terminals instead of the square 
returns into the wall. The west window of the aisle is peculiar— 
it is of three lights with square heads on the outside, but the pierced 
part assumes a pointed form, so that on the inside it has the ap- 
pearance of a pointed arched window, and the inside arch is also 
pointed, the spandrels between the arch and the square head on the 
outside being filled with blind tracery: the label is worked on the 
solid with the head and jambs, as in the south aisle. The roof of 
the aisle was, doubtless, like that of the chapel (although with a 
somewhat later-looking cornice), but, as in the nave, the ribs have 
been cut away and the whole plastered. 
The north porch, with its staircase and room over, was apparently 
built with the north aisle. It is much richer than the one on the 
south and was always—as now—the principal entrance to the 
Church. It has diagonal buttresses carried up and terminating in 
erocketted pinnacles above the parapet. The outer doorway is a 
good one, with two orders of wave mould with a hollow between, 
and a bold label over, having terminals carved to represent animals. 
Over it is a niche having flanking pinnacles and groined canopy, 
which is occupied by a figure representing 8. Michael slaying the 
dragon. Sir R. C. Hoare assumes this figure to be older than the 
surrounding work, but this is probably due to its weather-worn 
