CITY OF DURHAM 



Internally the openings in front of the windows 

 have plain semicircular arches which were flanked, 

 except in the narrow end bay, by tall narrow 

 openings with semicircular heads springing 

 from the same level as those of the windows. 

 When the idea of vaulting was abandoned the 

 wall shafts were carried up to the wall head and 

 thus governed the setting-out of the clearstory 

 arcade, but later, when the vault was added, it 

 was found necessary to insert capitals to the shafts 

 so as to receive the vault members. The capital 

 of the shaft next the crossing was inserted at a 

 slightly higher level than that of the crossing 

 pier and the others were placed at the same 

 height. All the capitals are single cushions, 

 except that of the south shaft of the group of three 

 on the major pier, which has its cushion divided 

 into two. The double shafts over the southern 

 cylindrical pier still remain their full height, as 

 they were not interfered with by the vault, 

 and a single shaft in the south-east angle, 

 originally planned as a vaulting shaft and after- 

 wards carried up the wall, also remains unal- 

 tered, the diagonal rib of the added vault 

 springing from an adjoining shaft which rises 

 from the floor. The narrow openings flanking 

 the clearstory windows are now partly masked 

 by thevault, and when this was added all but one''^ 

 were walled up. The vaulting followed the plan 

 and system of that of the north transept, the 

 only difference being the addition of the cheveron 

 ornament. This occurs on each side of the outer 

 order of the transverse, and flanking the roll- 

 moulding of the diagonal ribs, as well as on the 

 outer order on the south side of the crossing 

 arch.*' The keys of the vault in the Uvo bays 

 next the crossing are jointed at right angles to the 

 direction of the rib, but in other respects the 

 system and construction of the vaulting are the 

 same as that in the north transept. 



The west walls of the transepts probably 

 belong to the period of the vacancy of the see 

 after St. Calais' death, their simple character 

 being in marked contrast to the work opposite. 

 The only vertical division in each case is formed 

 by the great triple shafts carrying the main 

 transverse, and as there is no set-off at the tri- 

 forium sill no supports were provided to receive 

 the diagonal ribs of the vaults, their place 

 being taken by corbels. Next the western 

 crossing piers each transept opens to the nave 



*^ Thit on the south side of the window in the 

 second bay from the end. 



*' The cheverons on 'the transverse are similar to 

 those of the outer order of the nave arcade arches ; 

 those of the ribs are of the same type as on the ribs 

 of the nave vault, but simpler. ' This vault was cer- 

 tainly built while the nave was in course of con- 

 struction . . ., it is probably of slightly earlier date 

 than the vault of the nave.' Bilson, Arcb. Jour. 

 Izzix, 140. 



aisle by a semicircular arch of two orders, with 

 shafted responds, the inner ones forming part 

 of the great piers, and in each end bay is a semi- 

 circular headed window ; in the north transept 

 this window retains the mullions and tracery 

 inserted in the 14th century, and is of three 

 lights. 



In the north transept the capitals of the great 

 triple shafts on the west were probably built 

 with the walls, but in the south transept, when 

 the idea of vaulting was abandoned, the shafts 

 were carried up to the wall-head, capitals being 

 afterwards added to receive the transverse (as on 

 the east wall), and corbels to take the diagonal 

 ribs. The corbels in both transepts are carved 

 with grotesques, but those in the south are of a 

 more advanced type, the sculptured heads being 

 similar to the corresponding corbels of the nave. 

 The treatment of the west triforium stage is 

 alike in both transepts, but there is variety in 

 the design of the openings ; that next the 

 crossing in each case consists of a pair of moulded 

 semicircular arches like those in the quire, but 

 with single half-shafts attached to the jambs, 

 and the whole slightly recessed within a plain 

 semicircular outer order. The opening next to 

 this is of a different type, consisting of two very 

 narrow semicircular arches without moulding 

 of any sort supported by a central circular shaft 

 of heavy proportions ; the shaft is not a monolith, 

 as in the other openings, its drum being built up 

 in narrow courses. In the further end bay 

 there is in each case a triple opening, with wide 

 middle and narrower flanking arches carried on 

 shafts with cushion capitals and plain outer 

 jambs. 



The west clearstory of the north transept cor- 

 responds with that opposite, except that in the 

 contracted northern bay there is a single window 

 with a triple arcade. In the south transept the 

 clearstory follows generally the design of that 

 opposite, but as there are no vaulting shafts 

 at the triforium stage the arrangement of the 

 narrow flanking openings is somewhat different ; 

 in the double bay, next the crossing, there were 

 two such openings between the two windows and 

 a single one beyond each, while in the south 

 bay the single window was flanked by two 

 narrow openings on each side. Three of these 

 eight flanking openings (in the outer bay) remain 

 as first constructed, but the others were walled 

 up, or removed when the vault was built.'' Both 

 transepts have clearstory wall-passages on each 

 side covered with small barrel vaults, but the 

 vault in the south transept is some 3 ft. 6 in. 

 higher than the other, having been constructed 

 at a time when the walls were not expected to 

 sustain the weight of a vault. 



The wall-arcade of the quire aisles is continued 



*" Bilson, op. cit. 131. 



Ill 



