A HISTORY OF DURHAM 



are strings at the level of the sills of the aisle and 

 triforium windows, dividing the walls horizon- 

 tally into three stages, and an intermediate one 

 at the springing of the arches of the aisle windows 

 continuing the labels. All the strings are taken 

 round the buttresses. The ground stage through- 

 out, beginning with the earliest work from the 

 east, is occupied by a wall-arcade, which stands 

 upon a plinth of the same character as that 

 already noted inside the building, with pro- 

 jecting double chamfered band. The arcade 

 consists of simple semicircular arches, two to 

 each bay, and of two moulded orders,^^ on 

 shafts with cushion capitals and moulded bases. 

 The small two-light triforium windows of the 

 quire, enclosed within a segmental containing 

 arch, are repeated on the east side of the tran- 

 septs, but on the west the windows are large 

 single openings like those of the nave. On 

 both sides of the transepts the windows of the 

 clearstory follow the treatment of those in the 

 quire, but with an arch of two orders ; the 

 nave clearstory windows are similar with cheve- 

 rons on the inner order. Above the triforium the 

 walls now finish with a straight parapet, but 

 formerly each bay of the nave aisles had a 

 transverse roof ending in a gable, traces of which 

 may be seen on the north side.^' The parapet 

 above the clearstory is also plain, but rests on a 

 corbel table. At the north-east and south-east 

 angles of the transepts respectively are flat 

 clasping buttresses with angle-rolls carried up 

 above the roofs as square turrets ; the wide 

 staircase turrets at the opposite angles have also 

 angle-rolls, but change to octagonal form at the 

 clearstory level. The gable and turrets of the 

 south transept and the western return wall 

 were rebuilt and refaced in 1826-9; ^^^ north 

 end of the north transept was altered a good 

 deal in detail about the same time, the turrets 

 being modernised and made to finish with open 

 parapets, the gable ' barbarously treated,' 2* and 



22 The inner order has a quirked angle-roll below a 

 hollow; the outer is the same with an additional roll on 

 the soffit. Wyatt's treatment played havoc with the 

 mouldings, but some of the arches on the south side 

 of the quire, then covered by the revestry, were left 

 untouched. The revestry was taken down in 1802. 

 Raine says the walls were chiselled and pared down to 

 the depth of 2 in. or 3 in., in consequence of which the 

 shafts and capitals, moulding and strings ' lost their 

 due proportion to the fabric': op. cit. 118. 



2' Similar indications on the south side are shown in 

 Billings' drawing (1843), as well as the small pointed 

 openings flanking the triforium windows. The refacing 

 of the south side of the nave in 1849 obliterated all 

 these marks. At what time the gables gave place to 

 parapets is not recorded. 



** ' The space was once iiUed with boldly pro- 

 jecting Norman strings crossing each other lozeng- 

 wise.' Raine, op. cit. 119. It has now an arcade 

 of seven arches. 



new figures placed in the roundels above Fossor's 

 great window.-^ 



The western towers were in all probability 

 originally covered with pyramidal roofs above the 

 level of the corbel table, which is a continuation 

 of those of the nave. The 12th-century work 

 terminates at this height and is of the same plain 

 and solid character as that of the body of the 

 church, with flat clasping buttresses at the 

 angles and blank round-headed windows in the 

 upper stages. The external wall-arcade and 

 string-courses are carried round the tovvers. 

 The 13th-century upper portions consist of four 

 unequal stages, the first and third with open 

 arcades of tall pointed arches,-' and the less 

 lofty second and fourth stages with wall-arcades 

 of semicircular arches, the arcading in each case 

 being carried round the buttresses. All the 

 arches are moulded and supported on shafts. 

 The open parapets and pinnacles date only from 

 about 1 80 1," before which the towers seem to 

 have terminated with solidmoulded battlement S.2* 

 Until the time of the Commonwealth they 

 were surmounted by ' great broaches,' or timber 

 spires covered with lead.^* From the turret 

 staircases there is access to the triforium passages 

 and from this level the towers are open to the 

 roof. There is access also to the platform at 

 the base of the great west window, and at the 

 level of the nave clearstory is a passage, now 

 blocked, wrhich ran round all four sides. The 

 north-west tower was known as the Galilee 

 steeple, and four bells hung in it. 



The lower part of the west front of the 

 church is hid by the Galilee, above the roof of 

 which, between the towers, is Fossor's great 

 window, set within a wide semicircular stilted 

 arch. Over this again and immediately below 

 the gable is a wall-arcade of seven tall round- 

 headed arches, richly ornamented with cheveron. 

 The west front, seen from the high ground at the 

 opposite side of the river, forms a very majestic 

 and well-balanced composition, buttressed as 



-^ The original figures are said to have represented 

 Priors Fossor and Castell ; ' in their stead was placed 

 a full length figure of Pudsey, and an effigy of a man 

 said to be a prior in his chair.' Raine, op. cit. 119. 



-' The first arcade has three arches on each side 

 between the angle pilasters, of which the two outer 

 ones are open and the middle one blank. The third 

 arcade has six narrow arches on each side, all of which 

 are open. 



*' A drawing published in that year shows the para- 

 pet on the north-west tower finished, but on the other 

 as in course of erection. Greenwell, op. cit. 38. 



-' Carter's drawings on the authority of old views 

 The merlons were moulded all round. 



-* Cosin at his first visitation in 1662, and again in 

 1665, enquired what had become of the wood and lead. 

 No satisfactory answer was returned. The spires are 

 shown in 17th-century engravings. 



122 



