at the Salisbury Meeting, ~ 41 
of Decorated architecture in windows, doors, and in portions of 
Churches, but there are fewer entire Churches in this style than in 
the midland counties. The chancel of Downton is a good example 
of early Decorated. We have rich Flamboyant work in the transepts 
of Great Bedwyn, and in those of Lacock; also in the chancel and 
transepts of the very interesting Church of Bishopston, especially 
the south transept with its very curious external cloister. The 
chancel at Wroughton is also a very charming example of flowing 
Decorated, with very good tracery and mouldings. At Boyton the 
Decorated work is earlier in date, and very good. 
The transition from Decorated to Perpendicular is exemplified in 
the very remarkable Church of Edington, now being very carefully 
restored by Mr. Ponting. This is one of the most important 
buildings we possess for the history of English architecture, in 
which we trace the beginnings of the new style—the special growth 
of English soil—and watch the curves of the tracery stiffening into 
rectilinear uniformity. Perpendicular not improbably had its rise 
in the Abbey of Gloucester. We find the earliest dated instance 
of its employment in the south transept of the Abbey Church now 
the Cathedral, soon after which it appears in the re-modelling of 
Winchester Cathedral, commenced by Bishop Edington, and though 
less fully developed in the noble Collegiate Church founded by him 
in his native village as a thank-offering for his elevation to the 
episcopate, whieh is deservedly one of the chief glories of Wiltshire. 
The first stone of this Church was laid in 1352, and it was dedicated 
in 1361; dates of some importance in the origin of the Perpendicular 
style. 
It would occupy too much of your time to dwell on the Perpen- 
dicular work in this county. As everywhere else there is hardly a 
Church which does not exhibit large or small traces of the great 
wave of rebuilding and alteration which passed over the country as 
the Gothic style was losing its life and freedom, and preparing to 
give way to the newly-introduced classical revival. The stately 
Church of Mere, with its noble west tower, may be mentioned as 
one of the best in South Wilts. Westbury deserves notice as an 
example of a Church originally Norman re-cast in Perpendicular, 
