CHURCH OF ST. MARY THE VIRGIN, KINGSTON. 41 



construction from their weakeiiing tlie roof, and exposing 

 part of it unnecessarily to the weatlier. 



There remains yet one featnre to be noticed in the 

 interior, though it would take a veiy long tiiue to describe 

 it, in the bench-ends and fronts of the stall work. The 

 carving of these, is for the most part deep, and very 

 elaborate, and some of the designs very chaste and beau- 

 tiful. These have also suffered, though from good Intention, 

 by being vamished; whereby the whole artistic efFect of 

 the carving, in the play of light and shade is destroyed. 

 If any one has any doubts about tliis fact, they may be 

 convinced within an hour, by taking a survey of those in 

 Kingston Church, and then going on to the adjoining 

 Church at Broomfield, where the beautiful ends remain in 

 their primitive integrity. There is one astounding diflS- 

 culty, however, to be accounted for by surveying Kingston 

 alone, and that is how the taste of any age could have so 

 dcgenerated as to have induced or aUowed persons to de- 

 stroy a whole aisle of these costly relics, to put up those 

 evidences of pride exclusiveness and bad taste yclept pews. 



The Font of good Perpendicular design, Stands at the 

 west side of the last pillar in the north aisle, but it has 

 been treated with no greater respect than the pillars. 



I fear I have exhausted the patience of my hearers 

 before coming to that feature which most persons would 

 examine first, perhaps to the exclusion of all others. I 

 must yet detain you one minute longer, to mention the 

 only piece of masonry which has not suffered from the 

 barbarism and mendacity of rough cast, the south porch. 

 The front of this contains some fine sculpture in niches, 

 alas empty, and in the pierced parapet of quatrefoils, and 

 there are also some bold corbel figures at the angles of the 

 cornice, after the manner of Gurgoylcs. 



1853*, PART II. r 



