A HISTORY OF DURHAM 



In the case of the transverse between the new 

 and the old work, however, which is placed at 

 about the centre line of the former sanctuary 

 arch, the cutting away of the original shafted 

 responds left the shafts of the old diagonals 

 isolated some distance westwards from the 

 triple corbelled shafts provided for the new 

 transverse and diagonals, and consequently 

 useless for the direct support of the wall-ribs 

 of this compartment. Marble shafts extending 

 to the shell of the vault, like those of the wall-ribs 

 of the other compartments, are, however, placed 

 upon their capitals, and the space intervening 

 between them and the eastern spring of the 

 vault is occupied on both north and south sides 

 by trefoiled gables forming canopies to small 

 figures on sculptured brackets. These canopies 

 die into the vault on the east and thus mask the 

 springing of the wall-ribs, while on the west they 

 rest on small marble shafts supported by carved 

 corbels placed immediately to the east of the 

 capitals of the shafts of the old diagonals. The 

 transverse arches of the vault are like those of 

 the vault of the Nine Altars, being each of two 

 orders, the inner order moulded with filleted 

 rolls, and the outer order enriched with dog- 

 tooth ornament. The diagonals are moulded with 

 a central filleted roll with hollows on either side 

 filled with dog-tooth ornament set at intervals. 

 The easternmost compartment has in addition 

 a transverse ridge-rib terminated on the north 

 by a seated figure flanked by lizard-like monsters, 

 and on the south by an angel ; the wall-ribs 

 of this compartment spring from richly carved 

 corbels. The central bosses of the whole vault 

 are very elaborately sculptured ; that of the 

 middle compartment has a figure of the Agnus 

 Dei, while the boss of the westernmost compart- 

 ment appears to represent Abraham receiving 

 the souls of the saved into Heaven. 



The treatment of the remodelled easternmost 

 bays is nearly alike in both QUIRE AISLES. 

 Each has seven bays of wall-arcading of the 

 same type as that of the Nine Altars, and is 

 lighted by an original late 13th-century window 

 with restored four-light tracery and a two- 

 centred rear-arch of two orders with dog-tooth 

 enrichment, springing from twin jamb shafts 

 with foliated capitals, the inner shafts being of 

 marble and the outer shafts of stone. These 

 windows are placed close against the responds 

 bounding the bays on the west, and the outer 

 of the western jamb shafts is utilised in each 

 case to carry one of the diagonals of the vault, 

 into which the outer order of the rear-arch dies. 

 The waU-arcade of the bay on the north has no 

 bounding string-course above it, and the 

 quatrefoils over the intersections of the arch- 

 mouldings are omitted in the four bays beneath 

 the window, the sill of which is splayed down- 

 wards nearly to the tops of the labels of the 



arcade, and finished with a projecting moulding 

 on the edge. The siU of the corresponding 

 window of the south aisle is not splayed so far 

 downwards, and the string-course above the 

 arcade is confined to the four western bays, 

 stopping at this point upon a foliated boss. 

 The shafts of the second bay from the west are 

 cut short and rest upon the ogee-shaped label 

 of an inserted 14th-century doorway, now 

 blocked. The quadripartite vaults have richly 

 sculptured central bosses, and the ribs are of 

 the same character as those of the high vault. 



The transverse arches dividing these bays from 

 the western bays are of the original work of 

 St. Calais. They are each of two semicircular 

 moulded orders, and, as has been explained 

 above, marked the commencement of the 

 original apses. The orders are moulded with 

 rolls and hollows and the responds have 

 attached half-shafts with cushion capitals and 

 moulded bases to each order. The plinths and 

 sub-plinths are like those of the eastern quire 

 piers, and are of the same height. Imme- 

 diately to the west of the responds of the 

 transverses are single attached half-shafts for 

 the diagonals of the vaults, those on the quire 

 sides of the aisles connecting the responds of 

 the transverses and those of the adjoining arches 

 of the quire arcades into continuous suites of 

 shafts. The four remaining bays of each aisle, 

 which, being spaced by the centre-lines of the 

 quire, are of unequal length, are divided from 

 each other by transverses of a single order, 

 springing from the middle shafts of triple 

 shafted responds like those of the easternmost 

 transverses, the flanking shafts receiving the 

 diagonals. The plinths and sub-plinths follow 

 the design of those of the quire piers to which 

 they are severally adjacent. The westernmost 

 bays open north and south to the transept 

 aisles ; the lower portions of the outer walls of 

 the other bays are occupied by interlacing 

 arcades, the longer bays having six bays of arcad- 

 ing, and the shorter bays five. These arcades, 

 which, as stated above, are continued round the 

 outer walls of the whole of the original church, 

 though interrupted in many places by later 

 insertions, stand upon a sub-plinth formed by 

 a continuation of that of the responds of the 

 transverses ; they consist of interlacing semi- 

 circular arches moulded with edge-rolls and shallow 

 hollows and springing from coupled shafts with 

 cushion and scalloped capitals having an abacus 

 common to each pair and moulded bases standing 

 on square plinths above the sub-plinth. The 

 present windows of the north aisle were originally 

 inserted in the last half of the 14th century, but 

 they were all renewed in 1 848, their tracery being 

 for the most part copied from windows to be 

 found in the churches of Sleaford and Holbeach 

 in Lincolnshire and Boughton Aluph in Kent. 



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