THE NORMANS IN DORSET. 127 



cap or stunted spire, springing from the corbel-table, wh'ch 

 was especially characteristic of this style. The corbels were 

 frequently carved with grotesque, and sometimes mytho- 

 logical emblems, representing extremely ancient traditions. 



Chancels. The Norman architects seem to have had an 

 'mportant share in the settling of the question of where the 

 principal altar should stand. In their ground-plan the 

 apse, formerly a small alcove behind the altar at the east 

 or west end of the building, became permanently fixed at the 

 east, and widened to the full breadth of the chancel. This 

 rounded east end was for a time universally adopted ; but 

 the tide of opinion turned against it in England, and 

 square-ended chancels soon became the rule amongst us. 

 Beyond the foundations of the Abbey Church of Shaftes- 

 bury, I do not know of any apsidal chancels of early days in 

 Dorset. 



The introduction of the pointed arch, about the year 1135, 

 is often considered to mark a transition to the characteristic 

 English style. But this is not necessarily the case ; there 

 seems to be no reason why pointed arches should not have been 

 incorporated into a permanent Romanesque, as they had been 

 into Arab work long before. At Wimborne, Charminster, 

 Bere Regis, and other places for many years afterwards 

 we find the pointed arch associated with methods of structure 

 and details purely Norman ; frequently pointed arches 

 in a nave arcade have round-arched windows above them. 

 The real T: ansitional style began with those improved ideas of 

 construction which become manifest from 1175 onwards, 

 and through which the possibility of lighter and more graceful 

 effects led to the final abandonment of the Romanesque. 



The Normans were great colourists, and their interiors 

 were richly painted throughout. 



In conclusion, I am venturing to offer you a rough sketch 

 conveying some idea of what a typical Norman church in 

 Dorset looked like in its original condition some of you may 

 recognise it as that of St. Nicholas, Studland. The details 

 are all adapted from contemporary work. 



