ABBOTSBURY ABBEY. 47 



site. From appearance, and I think from tradition, the track to 

 the chapel from the monastery seems to have taken a reach 

 through or more likely north of the Abbey garden, and then a 

 contrary reach south-west, skirting the north end of the many 

 landchets which so remarkably cover the east side of the hill. 



Now, as to the building. Set up there, buffeted by all the blasts 

 of heaven, specially by the unbroken force of the tearing sou'westers, 

 no common building could stand for long. And it is no common 

 building that was placed there in the first half of the isth century 

 and stands bravely up, roof and all, now in the evening of the 

 1 9th. Yes, there is the roof; that is the wonder. Fergusson is 

 severe on the imperfections of most roofs, ancient, mediaeval, and 

 modern. They mostly consist in part of wood. A glorious 

 vaulted church, like Westminster, let alone as St. Catharine's was 

 for ages, would shortly fall to pieces. The outer lead and wood 

 roof is perishable and would not long keep off rains, and, worse 

 still, frosts, from the thin film of stone forming the groined inner 

 roof. This would then perish lamentably. Not so with what he 

 calls a genuine roof a really imperishable one stone without, 

 stone within, stone all through. Such are rare in these islands, 

 and rarest of all, I fear, in England. I myself have seen only 

 four two in Scotland (Roslyn and Borthwick), two in England (our 

 Dorset St. Aldhelm's and our Dorset St. Catharine's here). How 

 splendidly this last is planned for its situation. How splendidly 

 was the plan carried out ! Go within. How splendidly there, 

 too, has solid simplicity been glorified with admirable detail in 

 that roof. I may be wrong, but I think that this style ot detail 

 for a roof bold vaulting ribs richly bossed where ridge and purline 

 ribs intersect them, and each recess so formed simply panelled, 

 like three blank foliated window lights I think this style a very 

 rare one. All the rest of the chapel harmonises perfectly with the 

 imperishable looking, yet not cumbrous, roof. The parapet 

 surrounding it, with the bold spots of shadow formed by the rain- 

 holes, the beacon turret, the massive buttresses crowned with 

 crenellated cresting instead of pinnacles the porches so enduring 



