18 PAPERS, ETC. 



aisles of Banwell as, extemally, the most thorouglily 

 beautiful I know among churches of its own kind — that is, 

 churches of considerable size, which neither make any 

 approach to cathedral character, nor yet exhibit the 

 common parochial type on the exaggerated scale of Boston 

 er Coventry. The proportions of the aisles and clerestory 

 are absolutely perfect. I have hinted that the Perpendi- 

 cular clerestories are, if anything, a little too low, and the 

 Windows a little too smaU. Banwell has hit the exact mean ; 

 its ränge of three-light windows with polnted arches is most 

 stately. It surpasses both Wrington and Yatton in its 

 proportions, and also in the pinnacles, which divide the 

 bays of the clerestory, instead of merely rising from the 

 parapet. Again, the turrets at the east end of the nave 

 are extremely noble, and as the chancel in its roofs and 

 character does not hannonize with the rest, it is a gain 

 that the aisles are not continued beyond the chancel-arch, 

 so that we are spared the lean-to roofs abutting against 

 space, as in Wrington and other cases. I also prefer the 

 porch rising to the füll height of the aisle rather than the 

 smaller one at Wrington. The only defect is the important 

 one of the masonry, where we miss the fine ashlar of 

 Wrington. On the whole, I have no doubt in assigning 

 Banwell the first place in these respects ; but Wrington, 

 even in the body, comes so very near to it, and so infinitely 

 surpasses Banwell and every other church of its class in its 

 inimitable tower, that I must, on the whole, assign to it the 

 highestrank among genuine parochial churches in Somerset- 

 shire, and, therefore, in England. 



Yet I must here mention two very formidable rivals, 

 Bruton and Martock. Wrington nave is, like so many 

 others, cramped at both ends ; an addition of a bay or 

 two to its length would have been a decided improvement. 



