14 NINTH ANNUAL MEETING. 



had charge of the works, told me there were Norman 

 bases to piers beneath the pavement. On my enquiring 

 further, I understood that there were none under the first 

 piers, west froin the chancel arch ; and that the bases of 

 the second were only half columns facing each other, and 

 set into walls which projected five feet on each side towards 

 the centre of the church, and that these walls also turned 

 eastward, and after going ander the first piers were lost. 



There can be no doubt that these walls were the north, 

 south, and west sides of the ancient tower of the church. 

 And in corroboration of this, it may be mentioned that the 

 two arches on each side next the choir are less in width 

 than the others, and that the corbels over the second pier 

 slightly face westward, as they ought to do, if placed at 

 the intersections of the work above the tower arch with 

 the side walls of the church.* 



Mr. C. E. Giles was good enough to send me his 

 sketches of the mouldings of the bases, which he made in 

 May last, while they were uncovered ; and I agree in his 

 Suggestion of the central tower. 



We have in many of our churches towers on the side 

 of the nave or of the chancel, and these are, for the most 

 part, older than the west towers, as are also many of the 

 centre towers which still remain. I am desirous of calling 

 the attention of our antiquaries to the subject of the 

 changes of the position of the tower which have in 

 many cases been made. St. Cuthbert's Wells, for ex- 

 ample, presents on each side broad piers, which either 

 supported a central tower, or the two towers placed 

 transept-wise, as at Exeter Cathedral. Those who have 

 studied Professor Willis's work on Canterbury Cathedral, 



* Meyrick's sketch of tke Foundation, and Mr. Giles's sketches of the 

 Mouldings, are given in the accompanying plate. 



