144 Church of Biddeston St. Nicholas. 



small convex corbels which spring from each side of the four piers. 

 The whole is then strengthened by being divided by a stone par- 

 tition running east and west. I would remark here that the spire 

 is of much later date than the other part of the turret, probably of 

 the loth century. The Doorway (plate II.) with its simple square 

 head and arched tympanum, upon which is carved in low relief the 

 well known form of the Norman cross, is unfortunately deprived 

 of its shafts, and is so completely coated with whitewash that the 

 carving on the capitals, which still exist, and on the circle surround- 

 ing the cross can with difficulty be determined. The last example of 

 Norman work, — the Font — is equally simple in its character. It is 

 of an inverted conical form, vidth a single chevron surrounding the 

 upper part, and is painted in imitation of granite. The Chancel has 

 an " Early English" lancet window north and south, a two-light 

 "Decorated" low side window in the south-west corner, and a 

 blocked up lancet window of the same date in the north wall ; the 

 latter has had an ogee trefoiled head, but the cusps have unfor- 

 tunately been cut off. 



The west window of the Nave, which now answers the purpose 

 of a doorway to a gallery, has a returned hood-moulding of a sec- 

 tional form indicative of "Decorated" work. It appears to have 

 consisted of three lights, but the jambs and arch are all that now 

 remain. The reparation of this window, and the removal of the 

 unsightly screen and steps before it would, at a very little cost, 

 annihilate the only egregious barbarism the exterior of the Church 

 presents. 



The interior of the Church possesses nothing of interest beyond 

 the Font already noticed, a north doorway partially blocked up 

 (having a very bold "Early English" hood-moulding with the 

 returns broken off), and the Chancel Arch. This, though of a 

 semicircular form and of a thickness equal to that of the wall which 

 supports the turret, is moulded in the style of the 15th century, 

 which circumstance would seem to indicate that either the old 

 Norman arch has been soffit-cased, or that the wall has been care- 

 fully shored up for the insertion of this later arch in the exact 

 position of the old one which from decay or defective workmanship 



