ARCHITECTÜRE OF NEIGHBOURHOÜD OF YEOVIL. 13 



church has been much altered by Perpendicular architects, 

 but it is evident that it was previously one of the small 

 cruciform churches of the district. A Norman doorway to 

 the south marks the original foundation of the church ; a 

 Decorated windovv to the north, the probable addition of 

 the transepts. But of these, the northern one alone retaina 

 its natural shape ; its southern fellovv has been enlarged 

 into a sort of imperfect aisle, not only externally, as at 

 Brimpton, but within also ; so that this church now con- 

 tains a pillar, a feature not generally found in churches of 

 this type, and here due only to later alterations. 



An exception to this last remark will be found in the 

 next stage of our jouruey, namely, at Somerton. The 

 church of this little town exhibits the type of which we 

 have been treating developed to an unusual scale ; besides 

 the transepts, of which the southern one forms a towei', we 

 find a nave with arcades and aisles of the Decorated period. 

 We must confess that the grand attraction of Somerton, 

 its magnificent tie-beam roof, is the addition of a later age, 

 and that the Decorated arcades, with their piain octagonal 

 pillars, are of little value or beauty ; but the tower is an 

 excellent study of the octagon of the district, slightly 

 modified by the addition of a stair-turret to its Avhole 

 height, and there are some good Decorated Windows, 

 especially a very elegant two-light Arch and Foil one in 

 the north transept, At Charlton Mackrell is a cross church 

 of very pleasing outline, with a central tower. The actual 

 building is mostly Perpendicular, but the Decorated north 

 transept, with its extremely fine north window of five lights, 

 a Geometrical skeleton filled up with Flowing patterns, 

 proves the existence of a cruciform church in earlier times. 

 The trefoil doorway on the north side of the chancel 

 ehould also be noticed. 



