ON THE PEKPENDICULAK OF SOMEKSET. 5 



absence of the usual elaborate detail. Tliey are well built 

 and finished, but have liardly any Ornament of any kind ; 

 iustead of the usual rieh parapet, there is a mere piain 

 battlement, with smaU or no pinnacles. Indeed, where 

 tliey existed, they have been mostly knocked off, rather, 

 according to my taste, to the improvement of the tower. 

 Of these, Minehead and St. Decuman's have the tuiret 

 connected with buttresses, after the Taunton and Lydiard 

 fashion ; at Martock and Queen Camel the upper part of 

 the turret Stands free, but the lower part is cloaked with 

 buttresses ; at Cannington alone have we the true Bristol 

 arrangement, though without the spkelet. It may be re- 

 marked that none of these piain towers are attached to very 

 large and elaborate churches, except Martock, which is 

 consequently unpleasing, while none of the others are. 

 The tower there seems nearly as unworthy of the church 

 as at Huish the church is unworthy of the tower. 



Of the third class, I have found no fellow to add to 

 the small band I enumerated ou a foitner occasion. The 

 nearest approach to it I have seen is at Lympsham, 

 where the belfry-stage and the large comer pinnacles are 

 treated exactly as at Wrington, but then that belfry-stage 

 is only the uppermost of three which rise above the roof, 

 and the two lower of which are treated quite in the 

 ordinary manner. This tower is most beautiful at a little 

 distance, but on a nearer approach it is rather disappoint- 

 ing ; partly because the gradual increase of lightness is 

 not sufficiently observed, partly because the rough masonry 

 of its waUing does not harmonize well with its ornamental 

 portiona. In the distant view also it has a great appear- 

 ance of massiveness, which, on a nearer approach, is found 

 to be very far from its real character. I have now also 

 minutely examined Backwell, and sce no rcason to retract 



