CHEDDAR, WELLS, AND GLASTONBURY. IxiX. 



the solar, in the private chapel, and the large barn adjoining, 

 are of much beauty and of that interesting period when the 

 Early English style was merging into the Decorated. Then the 

 party walked across the field to the " Fish House," a now roofless 

 building of a later period. 



GLASTONBURY AND ITS ABBEY. 



On arriving in Glastonbury, the party first visited the Museum 

 to inspect its various treasures, and especially to see the 

 pre-historic boat and numerous other relics unearthed from the 

 peaty soil of the Lake Village. After luncheon at the Old 

 George Hotel it was resolved that a guinea be given to the 

 purchase fund of Glastonbury Abbey from the Club's funds. 

 The party then adjourned to the Abbey, where Mr. Bligh 

 Bond kindly gave some account of the ruins and of the 

 interesting and valuable discoveries which he had so lately made 

 in connection with them. He said that they were now standing 

 on the site of St. Mary's Chapel, or, as it had been called for a 

 great many years, St. Joseph's Chapel, which occupied the site of 

 the original British wattled church which was supposed to have 

 been erected in the first century. As they saw, the present 

 chapel was in the Transition style between the Norman and the 

 Early English. The date of its erection was just prior to 1186, 

 and it was consecrated in that year. It was a most beautiful 

 example of the style, perhaps the most beautiful example that we 

 have. The work well repaid careful study, because the detail 

 was so beautifully wrought, especially when they came to the 

 actual carved ornaments, which possessed a character that they 

 would look for in vain in most of the work of that date. He 

 called their attention particularly to some of the corbel heads, 

 which he declared to be equal almost to the best Italian 

 Renaissance work, and to the most elaborate north door and the 

 delicate shafting of Purbeck marble. The crypt was constructed 

 by the monks in the fifteenth century for the benefit of the 

 pilgrims. They underpinned the walls of the chapel to put in 



