iy8 ARCHITECTURAL STYLES IN FORDIXGTOX CHURCH. 



may have been brought from the Holy Land by a crusader 

 perhaps the crusader to whom the effigy belonged, of which a 

 part of the head alone remains at the church, showing that he 

 wore a conical nasal helm, somewhat similar to those sculptured 

 on the tympanum. This man may have been the benefactor 

 who found the means for the additions to the church of the 

 semi-Norman period. 



The capital is in Ham Hill stone, 7 inches deep, and is formed 

 with a necking, echinus, or cushion cap, and abacus, the abacus 

 being square, with the angles cut off. The necking is carved with 

 a cable pattern, the cushion with spiral, vertical, and inverted 

 truncated cones alternately, and with inverted semi-circles filled 

 in with forms similar to a shamrock leaf, also with eyes and a 

 six-pointed star-shaped leaf pattern, in a circle. 



The south-west pier is also 2 feet in diameter above its base, 

 but built of larger stones. Its base has before been referred to ; 

 the capital is about i foot deep, of Ham Hill stone, formed with 

 a coupled necking, large cavetto, and a hood mould finish. 

 This capital indicates a transition in embryo towards the Early 

 English, the bell of the capital of the later style being fore- 

 shadowed. 



The section of the arches to the arcade is of two simple orders 

 with wide chamfers on all the edges. 



The Perpendicular work of the tower forms the abutment for 

 the westernmost crippled arch. 



The chief glory of the Norman work remaining is the 

 principal and south entrance doorway, and its elevation seen in 

 the porch. Here we have an opening 4 feet wide and something 

 under 7 feet high in the centre, with a part-canted head. The 

 outer reveal has a large bowtell and double quirk worked right 

 round it, with plain stops at the base. The head of the opening 

 is composed of several large stones, on which there is an 

 irregular shaped panel or tympanum, sunk with some legendary 

 raised sculpture carved on the same. Bloxam refers to it 

 thus : " A curious and very early sculpture, apparently 

 " representing some incident in the story of St. George. The 



