ARCHITECTURE Or NEIGHBOURHOOD OF YEOVIL. 9 



recently altered in an Italianizin^ style, in which also a 

 grand soutliern porch has been added, but the waUs are 

 original, as the chimney and some of the windows testify. 

 These are the main features of the exterior ; its internal 

 arrangements I must leave to some more favoured visitor 

 than myself to describe. 



From Brimpton I mvist conduct my party up a hill to 

 Odcombe, a church which forms a very prominent object in 

 the landscape. It is a church with the tower placed as at 

 Iffley, and the outline is very good. Its most important 

 portions have been remodelled in Perpendjcular, but a 

 carefol examination wiU soon show that it is a mere recast- 

 ing of an Early English building. We now descend, and 

 in a little tirae find ourselves in the village of Montacute, 

 where a rieh störe of antiquities is gathered under the 

 shadow of the hills. To the church I have already had 

 occasion to allude, on account of the excellent Perpendi- 

 cular tower which has been added to its west end. But 

 the church itself is essentially one of the earlier type ; 

 indeed it contains earlier work than any we have seen, 

 having a good, though piain, Norman chancel arch of three 

 Orders. The greater part of the church seems to belong 

 to the turning point between Early English and Decorated ; 

 the south transept arch belongs rather to the former style, 

 the north to the latter; the windows in both and also in 

 the chancel are Geometrlcal. Probably all are parts of one 

 renovation, between the accomplishment of whose several 

 portions a good deal of time was allowed to elapse. Few 

 villages, few towns even, are richer than Montacute in do- 

 mestic architecture. Besides the well-known Elizabethan 

 mansion, some excellent remains of the Priory exist near 

 the church. These consist of a gateway and some adjoining 

 domestic bulldings. The very fine Perpendicular gateway, 



1853*, PART ir. B 



