A HISTORY OF DURHAM 



Two lathe-turned baluster shafts, similar in type to 

 those at Jarrow and Monkwearmouth, have also 

 been found. All these fragments are now pre- 

 served in the church at the west end of the south 

 aisle. 



The tower is an addition of the 1 2th century, and 

 a south aisle .ippears to have been added in the 13th 

 century, the west window and the piscina being of 

 that date, though the arcade has disappeared. Origin- 

 ally the arcade would no doubt be pierced through 

 the older wall, but it has been replaced by later work 

 of poor and thin detail which may belong to the end 

 of the 1 6th or beginning of the 17th century. The 

 round arches of the north arcade and the chancel are 

 apparently of 12th-century date, but the piers and 



North Aisle 



Infflfii..:;..::::;;©;;.:::::: 



Nave 



South Aisle 



Chancel 



Scale of Feet 



Plan of Hart Church 



responds are considerably later, and appear to be recon- 

 structions of the 15th century. Probably the north 

 aisle was added a little later th.in the tower and the 

 chancel rebuilt on a larger scale at the same time, the 

 arches being broken through the north wall and 

 the old chancel arch reconstructed. The present 

 chancel is a rebuilding of 1806. The porch is of 

 uncertain date, but may have been erected when the 

 south arcade was reconstructed. Sir Stephen Glynne, 

 who visited the church in 1 84.3, described the windows 

 as then having nearly all lost their tracery and the 

 interior as being spoiled by ' hideous coats of white- 

 wash alternating with lampblack ' which barbarously 

 disfigured the arches and walls." The church was 

 restored in 1884-5 ^""^ again in 1889-91, when all 

 the old wooden windows were removed, the floor 

 lowered 3 ft. to its original level and the nave reseated. 

 In 1898 the chancel was restored and the ancient 

 altar stone replaced. 



The chancel is built of square coursed stones, and 

 without buttresses or other architectural features. The 

 east window is a recent one of three trefoiled lights, 

 and there is a three-light segmental-headed window 

 in each of the side walls. The roof is covered with 

 green slates with iron gutters and is lower, but of 



'" Proc. Sot. Antiq. NevicaitU (Ser. 3), Hi, 185. 



Steeper pitch, than that over the nave and aisles. In 

 the middle of the south wall outside is built an old 

 carved stone with the figure of St. George and the 

 dragon. It is now partly obscured by the ivy with 

 which the wall is almost entirely covered. 



The aisle walls are of rubble masonry and the 

 tower is faced with square coursed stones averaging 

 I 5 in. by 9 in., some of the quoins, however, being 

 of much larger size, two measuring 5 ft. 9 in. in length 

 and a third 6 ft. The nave and aisles are under one 

 wide low-pitched leaded roof, the walls terminating 

 in straight parapets. The porch has a gabled roof 

 covered with red pantiles. 



The masonry of the pre-Conquest nave has been 

 left bare inside and several original features remain. 



In the east wall the archi- 

 volt of the chancel arch 

 is still in position immedi- 

 ately above the later 

 opening. Ten voussoirs 

 remain in position, the 

 arch showing on both 

 sides to nave and chancel. 

 Above this again is a 

 triangular-headed open- 

 ing similar in type to 

 those in the tower at 

 Norton Church, the head 

 formed of two slabs laid 

 against each other in the 

 usual manner and the 

 jambs consisting of four 

 stones on each side. A 

 length of about 8 ft. of 

 the original walling re- 

 mains at each end of the 

 north arcade, the aisle 

 not being carried west- 

 ward the full length of the 

 nave, and the eastern end 

 having a long respond. Above the arcade in the 

 portion of wall between the arches a narrow window 

 opening, not quite 9 in. wide externally, was dis- 

 covered when the plaster was stripped off. Its head 

 and internal splay had been destroyed when the arcade 

 was inserted, and the opening is now built up and 

 shows only from the aisle. The sill and the west 

 jamb and one stone of the east jamb alone are in 

 position. In the west wall a portion of a chamfered 

 string-course of early section consisting of three stones 

 remains on the north side of the tower arch, and 

 another portion of a similar string occurs at the east 

 end of the north wall, but is now hidden by the 

 organ. 



The semicircular chancel arch consists of three 

 chamfered orders springing from half-octagonal re- 

 sponds with moulded capitals and bases. The two 

 arches of the north arcade are similar and spring from 

 an octagonal pier and half-octagonal responds with 

 moulded capitals and bases, the outer order projecting 

 in front of the pier on each side, giving it the 

 appearance of a hood mould. The south arcade 

 consists of four badly-shaped pointed arches of two 

 hollow-chamfered orders springing from octagonal 

 piers and from corresponding responds, all with 

 moulded capitals and bases. The wall above was 

 reduced to 20 in. in thickness at the time of the 



inn PRE-CoNQUrST 



12IS Century 



I32J Century 



I5III Century 



W mcAtoo 



E2il806 



260 



