36 The Parish Church of 8. Michael, Mere. 
and organ-loft arches were raised can be exactly identified. The 
chancel arch is of the west-country panelled type, without label, 
the added part of the jambs and the arch being entirely new work 
of Doulting stone; in the case of the organ-loft the old green stone 
arch was re-used, but with new springers and the jambs heightened, 
the old springers being cut off and left in situ. The raising of 
these arches and the consequent weakening of the pier from which 
they spring was doubtless the reason for filling up the space in it 
occupied by the rood-loft stairs. 
The arcades between the nave and aisles are of five bays, the 
spaces being divided as between the wall-face of the tower and the 
eastern respond—the westernmost bays are therefore narrower by 
the projection of the east buttresses of the tower against which they 
abut. The columns are tall and slender, and consist in section of 
semi-circular attached shafts on the cardinal faces with hollows 
between—the four shafts having deep moulded bases and moulded 
caps stopping the outer order of the arch-mould, which is an ogee 
instead of a plain roll like the shaft; the hollows are continued 
round the arch. The arches are pointed; over each arch on the 
south side is a three-light pointed clerestory window,! and the same 
is repeated on the north side, but is visible on the inside only, and 
built solid (not subsequently blocked up, as Hoare thought) on the 
outside: this was doubtless owing to the high-pitched roof which 
had been put on the north aisle as compared with the lean-to or 
flat-spanned roof on the south. The absence of labels to both arches 
and windows is noticeable, and this flat treatment was no doubt 
intended to receive colour decoration, which there is evidence 
to show covered the interior of the building. The joints of the 
columns are bedded on oyster-shells, except in the re-built parts, 
where sheet-lead is used. 
The nave roof still remains, it is of the collared and braced 
rafter type, with longitudinal moulded ribs intersecting with the 
main circular ribs. The cornice is a richly-moulded one with carved 
1The tracery to the south windows had disappeared and was renewed, copied 
from the blind windows on the north, in 1856. 
