CITY OF DURHAM 



same plan, crowned by crockctcd and finialled 

 spirelets. 



St. Calais' QUIRE consisted of the two 

 aisled double bays which still exist, a single bay 

 to the east of the double bays, and beyond this 

 the apse. The aisles originally terminated on 

 either side of the single bay in small apses, 

 which appear by the foundations discovered to 

 have been internal only, their external eastern 

 terminations having been rectangular. In 

 the 13th century the apse was demolished, 

 and the adjacent single bay, with the apsidal 

 easternmost bays of the aisles, was rebuilt to join 

 up with the new work of the Nine Altars. Be- 

 tween the double bays are shafted responds of 

 two orders rising from the floor, which were 

 evidently designed to carry a semicircular 

 transverse arch of two orders, like those in the 

 transepts. The shafts of the responds, like all 

 the other attached shafts, are St. Calais' work, 

 of half-round section with cushion capitals and 

 moulded bases consisting of flat, slightly chan- 

 nelled, splays. Each respond has a square plinth 

 common to its three shafts, with a larger sub- 

 plinth below, the off-set being finished with a 

 plain chamfer, but the westernmost shafts on 

 both sides have been cut away for the stalling. 

 The quire is bounded on the west by the eastern 

 arch of the crossing, which is of three orders 

 towards the east, but of only two towards the 

 west. The innermost order has hollow-cham- 

 fered edges and a large half-round on the soffit, 

 the next order has a plain roll on each edge, 

 while the third order on the east face is 

 unmoulded. The responds form part of the 

 eastern piers of the crossing, which may be 

 described as consisting of shafted responds 

 of two orders on each cardinal face, with 

 single attached shafts between, the whole 

 number of attached shafts amounting to sixteen. 

 The responds of two orders on the inner north 

 and south faces of the piers, together with the 

 single shafts adjoining on the east, suffice to 

 carry the orders of the arch, the answering 

 single shafts on the west being carried up the 

 internal angles of the tower. The shafts are of 

 the same detail as those of the responds of the 

 main transverse, and rest on a plinth of the same 

 height, but of different detail, the chamfered 

 off-set being replaced by a projecting band 

 with a quirked chamfer on its upper and lower 

 edges. In both cases it may be noted that the 

 central shaft of each group of three is larger than 

 the flanking shafts and has a capital of corre- 

 spondingly greater size. There are clear indica- 

 tions that the division of sanctuary and quire 

 was marked by an arch of the same type as the 

 eastern arch of the crossing (probably of three 

 orders on both faces) between the single bay 

 next the apse and the adjoining double bay ; 

 the piers between these bays still remain, but 



the shafted responds, which must have corre- 

 sponded with those of the eastern arch of the 

 crossing, were cut away in the 13th century, 

 when the junction between the new work and 

 the old was effected. Each of the original double 

 bays has on either side, opening to the aisles, a 

 pair of semicircular arches supported by a 

 central cyHndrical pier of massive proportions, 

 and shafted responds against the main piers. 

 The arches are of two orders moulded with 

 hollows and angle-rolls, the inner orders having 

 in addition a large roll on the soffit. The west 

 responds of the arcade are formed by the 

 three attached shafts on the east face of each 

 crossing-pier, which have cushion capitals and 

 moulded bases like those of the shafts on the 

 inner faces of the piers from which the eastern 

 arch of the crossing springs. The responds 

 against the other main piers are designed to 

 correspond, but the plinths of the responds 

 in the eastern bay foUow the pattern of those 

 of the responds of the central transverse 

 already described. As the ground-stages of 

 the piers between the double bays are made 

 of the same length on plan from east to west as 

 the crossing-piers, though the shafted responds 

 of the central transverse attached to them have 

 one order less than those of the eastern arch of 

 the crossing, short spaces of blank wall interrupt 

 the continuity of the suites of shafts. The 

 intermediate piers are not complete cylinders, 

 for shafted responds of two orders, from which 

 spring the transverses of the aisle vaults, are 

 attached to their aisle sides. The drum of the 

 cyHndrical portion of each pier is ornamented 

 with left-handed spiral fluting, and the main 

 capital, the plan of which is composed of five 

 sides of an octagon (the remaining sides being 

 merged in the capitals of the shafts of the 

 responds of the aisle transverses), is of cushion 

 type, approximating to the scalloped form. The 

 abacus is continuous round the whole pier, which 

 stands on a base and plinth corresponding to 

 those of the responds against the main piers. The 

 walls are set back 1 1 in. at the level of the tri- 

 forium sill, w^hich is marked by a plain chamfered 

 string-course, and upon the set-off thus formed 

 stand short vaulting-shafts ; these consist of 

 single attached shafts placed in the nooks formed 

 by the setting back of the face of the wall next 

 the shafts on the main piers, and of triple shafts 

 in the centre of each bay over the minor or 

 cylindrical piers. All have cushion capitals 

 and moulded bases standing on square plinths, 

 but the capitals of the eastern nook-shaft and 

 the triple shafts in the east double bay are 

 carved with foliage similar to that of the 

 13th-century capitals adjoining, while retain- 

 ing generally their old form. As the nook- 

 shafts, which were designed to receive the 

 diagonals of the vault, were necessarily placed 



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