EXCURSION. 39 



beautiful winclow of the Earlj Decorated perlod, wliich 

 shewed that an aisle or cliapel must have been intro- 

 duced towards the end of the thirteeiith Century. The 

 Pei'pendicular reconstruction could hardly be all of one 

 time, as there were considerable differences of detail. The 

 work was, on the whole, very poor. The lofty pillars and 

 arches, with no clerestory, looked poor in comparison with 

 those at Wrington, Martock, and other grand examples in 

 the county. StUl it was essentially Somerset work. There 

 Avas the characteristic round capital, with foliage, it being 

 a peculiarity of the Somersetshire Perpendicular that it re- 

 tained many of the beauties of the earlier style, with its 

 own peculiar magnificence. The chapel on the south side 

 had, instead of pillars, two small pleces of wall moulded on 

 each side, which was by no means an elegant form. There 

 were some good pieces of wooden roofing in the chancel of 

 the church. Mr. Dickinson said that unless there were 

 very strong reasons, he should doubt whether the original 

 church Avas a small one. The peculiar loAvness of the 

 arches which supported the tower might have been de- 

 signed in consequence of their having to bear its weight. 

 Mr. Freeman said he thought the church must have been 

 originally both lower and shorter than at present. He then 

 drew attention to the very beautiful piece of wooden roof, 

 with figures of angels, and verses of the Te Deiim, to which 

 WC have already alluded, and to some fan-tracery over the 

 lantern. He also explained, in support of the opinion he 

 had advanced in refercnce to the church having been 

 heightened, that one great object with the architects pre- 

 vious to the Reformation, was to enable the congregation 

 to see the high altar, with which, in the present State of 

 the church, the low arches would interfere. This elicited 

 an intcresting discussion, and it appeared that in collegiatc 



