CITY OF DURHAM 



in the base of the eastern piers of the crossing 

 point to a wooden screen here. There was 

 probably another wooden screen with a central 

 doorway across the western tower arch. From 

 the evidence of a piscina in the eastern respond 

 wall of the south arcade of the nave, this screen 

 and the altar, possibly the Rood altar, on the 

 south side of its central doorway, which the 

 piscina served, stood on a platform 2 ft. above 

 the nave floor. 



The north transept was lighted by three 

 lancets in the north wall and two in the west, 

 but the north wall has now fallen. At the south 

 end of the east wall is a pointed arch, blocked 

 in the 14th century, which led into the north 

 aisle of the quire. It is of two chamfered 

 orders springing on the north side from a 

 semicircular respond with moulded capital, 

 and on the south from a moulded capital formed 

 on the circumference of the great north-west 

 pier. In the blocking of this arch was a two- 

 light window, under which was an altar, prob- 

 ably that of St. Cuthbert. To the north of 

 this window is a wider and lower pointed arch 

 of slightly later date, also blocked, which 

 opened into the rectangular chapel destroyed 

 in the 14th century. This, according to the 

 arguments of Mr. Peers, was the chapel of St. 

 Godric. Its foundations, recently exposed, 

 show that it e.^isted before the monastic church 

 was planned, with which it is out of line. Mr. 

 Peers suggests that it represents the wooden 

 chapel of St. Mary built by St. Godric, which, 

 in that case, must have been rebuilt in stone 

 between the date of St. Godric's death and the 

 building of the monastic church. The chapel 

 was lengthened westward in the 13th century 

 to join the north transept, into which it opened 

 by the blocked arch above referred to. If this 

 theory is correct, the altar of St. Mary was 

 probably moved for a time to the presbytery 

 and later to the south transept, while the altar 

 of St. Godric was set up in the chapel.'* When 

 the chapel was destroyed in the 14th century the 

 altar of St. Godric was placed beneath the two- 

 light window in the wall blocking the arch 

 opening into the chapel, where evidence of it may 

 still be seen. Between the two altars was a 

 doorway leading to the monks' cemetery. 



The south transept, which seems to have 

 formed the Lady Chapel, was lighted from the 

 east by a large five-light window of about 

 1300, the lower part of which only survives. 

 Below it are the remains of an altar, which may 

 be identified as that of St. Mary, and beside 



•* Jrch. Aeliana, 4th ser. vol. iv, pp. 206-8. 

 The roof weatherings on the east wall of the transept 

 are set centrally over the arch opening into the 

 chapel, showing they were intended for a narrower 

 chapel with a south wall independent of the wall of 

 the quire aisle. 



it on the south is a 14th-century piscina. The 

 block of masonry in which the piscina is set 

 carried the night stair to the dorter,** the door- 

 way to which was originally at the south-east 

 of the transept, but was at some time blocked 

 and a new doorway made in the middle of the 

 south wall. This latter doorway apparently 

 gave access to a wooden gallery at the south 

 end of the transept. The square-headed door- 

 way inserted in the south-west corner leads 

 to the cloister. The day stair was apparently 

 disused before the dissolution of the monastery, 

 and possibly the night stair took its place. A 

 14th-century window was inserted in the wall 

 blocking the arch from the transept to the south 

 aisle of the quire, the lower part of which only 

 remains. Below this window, from the evidence 

 of a trefoiled piscina, now without a bowl, 

 and an image bracket, there was an altar, the 

 dedication of which is unknown. A 14th-century 

 pointed doorway has been inserted in the blocked 

 arch leading into the south aisle of the nave, 

 and south of it another pointed doorway to 

 the cloister, over which, above the level of the 

 cloister roof, are the remains of a lancet window. 



The nave arcades, of four bays, are of similar 

 detail to those of the quire. The walls blocking 

 the arches on the north side have three-light 

 traceried windows of the 14th century in the 

 three easternmost bays, and a doorway in the 

 western bay, over which is a 14th-century two- 

 light window. In the west wall is a pointed 

 doorway of three moulded orders, the two outer 

 of which were supported by detached shafts 

 with bell capitals, while the inner order is 

 composed of a large roll interrupted only by a 

 capital of similar character. An external string- 

 course is carried across the wall above the door- 

 way ; over the string-course are the remains of 

 three lancets. 



The cloister was originally a square of 75 ft. 

 with arcades towards the garth, but its 

 length from north to south was extended when, 

 as already stated, the south aisle of the nave 

 became the north cloister walk. The eastern 

 part of the old aisle wall still survives, and at 

 the east end of it is a doorway with a two-centred 

 drop arch of two chamfered orders dying 

 into plain jambs. Opposite the first bay of the 

 nave arcade is a segmental-headed window 

 of the 14th century with fragments of tracery, 

 and a moulded jamb farther west probably 

 indicates the remains of a similar window. A 

 keel moulded respond facing the eastern pier 

 of the nave arcade doubtless received the ribs 

 of the aisle vaulting. The western part of this 

 wall is destroyed. Some of the bases of the 

 cloister arcade remain in the south walk, but in 



*• The masonry of the stair blocked two lockers 

 here. 



151 



