346 Notes on Lacock Church. 



wall of the aisle, and that the object was not to obstruct it in anyway.] 

 The north nave aisle, of very good Perpendicular character, must 

 have been erected when the old north arcade of the nave was 

 standing, and had ^ a groined vault, of which the springers may be 

 traced, and also the outline of the vaulting against the west wall. 

 This must have been removed when the north side of the nave was 

 re-built, as it does not agree with the position of the present arcade, 

 of which moreover, the spandrils are panelled on both sides, showing 

 that no vaulting was then either existing or contemplated. Ex- 

 ternally, the base mouldings of the north wall of the aisle are 

 returned, at the point where they join the transept wall, showing 

 an intention of re-building the north transept. 



The south transept has not been actually re-built, but has been 

 greatly modernised. An archway, opening from this transept into 

 the south aisle of the nave, dates from an earlier period than the 

 south arcade of the nave, and I consider it as originally late 

 Decorated.2 ^Vhen the south nave arcade was built, it is evident 

 that the north jamb of this earlier arch was removed, and the arch 

 supported,^ as a temporary expedient, on a pillar of the new work, 

 which pUlar was of the same slight section as the other pillars of 



' I, at first, supposed that tlie vaulting had been intended, but never erected. 

 The probability, however, appears to be that it was erected and afterwards 

 demolished, when the north nave arcade was built. The springer of the vault, 

 in the north-west angle, remains. Two other springers, on the north side, 

 have been cut back, flush with the face of the wall, which was not unlikely 

 to be done, if the vaulting was removed, but perhaps less probable, if it had 

 simply been never erected. The west window of the aisle is of five lights, 

 and there are three four-light windows, on the north side, extended internally 

 to the form of six-light windows, by blank panels, in the space occupied ex- 

 ternally by the buttresses. In the first of these windows, from the west, two 

 small pieces of original glass remain in situ. Externally there is a niche, 

 over the west window, with a very beautiful canopy. The latter contains small 

 niches, and is much mutilated, apparently in the removal of the figures Irom 

 these subordinate niches. Where the carving is not mutilated it is well 

 preserved, showing how well Bath stone will sometimes stand, for the work 

 is probably not later than 1437. 



- One original stop remains perfect, in the south jamb, and appears to be 

 of the fourteenth century. 



^ Half the arch must, I suppose, have been re-set. The arch had a small 

 keystone, which was eliminated in 1875. Experience had taught the builder 

 that a keystone might be objected to by an architect. 



