A HISTORY OF DURHAM 



ings differing completely in detail. On the north 

 side the piers are all alike, but on the south they 

 differ from each other and from those opposite, 

 while the arches have hooJ moulds on the south side 

 only. At the east end of the south aisle was a chapel, 

 the piscina of which remains in the south wall, and 

 perhaps for this reason the east bay is wider than the 

 others. The two western bays are much contracted, 

 but the average width between the piers is about 

 10 ft. 6 in." The first, third and fifth piers are 

 square on plan with a keel-shaped shaft on each face. 

 The second pier from the east is circular, with eight 

 small circular shafts ranged around it, and the fourth 

 is of similar type, but octagonal in plan. The shafts 

 in each case have separate capitals and base, the former 

 surmounted by a single large circular moulded 

 abacus, from which the arches spring at a height of 

 I 2 ft. 3 in. above the floor. The arches are pointed 

 and of two moulded orders with indented hood 

 moulds similar to those in the quire, app.irently 

 indicating that the south arcade was built from east 

 to west immediately after the chancel. A horizontal 

 moulding runs the full length of the nave imme- 

 diately above the arches, forming the sill of the clear- 

 story windows, and over each pier, springing from a 

 moulded corbel which rests on the abacus, rises a 

 small circular shaft, with moulded capital, the full 

 height of the wall. These shafts carried the ends of 

 the principals of the old roof, which was of the same 

 pitch as the existing modern one, and ' must have 

 been of some trussed or arched form without tie- 

 beams,' which would ' have cut across and disfigured the 

 lofty arch in the tower."* 



The piers of the north arcade consist of eight 

 clustered shafts, of circular and keel-shaped section 

 alternately, all with separate moulded capitals and 

 bases with large inclosing circular abaci. The arches 

 are of two moulded orders. The bases of the piers 

 of the south arcade stand on separate circular cham- 

 fered plinths, but on the north side the circumscribing 

 line is octagonal and the bases were connected by a 

 low plinth a few inches above the nave floor, which 

 may represent the original height of the floor of the 

 aisle. 



From each of the nave piers an arch of a single 

 moulded order with hood mould on each side is 

 thrown across the aisle. On the south side the arches 

 spring from the capitals of the columns and from 

 corbels opposite, but on the north the inner springing 

 is from independent capitals applied to the shafts of 

 the piers at a lower level, their abaci being lower than 

 the neck moulds of the main capitals. In the south 

 aisle, more particularly, many of the arches are curi- 

 ously misshapen, as though from settlement or pressure, 

 but the walls show no signs of either. There is no 

 sign of the corbels having been raised, and the roofs 

 always cleared the arches, some of which are quite 

 symmetrical." In the south aisle the easternmost 

 transverse arch springs on the wall side from a respond 

 similar in section to the pier opposite, thus further 



emphasizing the special treatment of the eastern bay. 

 On the north side there is no trace of an altar having 

 existed. The old lean-to roofs of the aisles were 

 removed in the 1 8th century, and the original windows 

 are all gone, the only evidence of their appearance 

 being the single light remaining in the engaged bay 

 south of the tower. They were probably plain 

 lancets in groups of two or three, most of the light in 

 the nave having come originally from the clearstory. 

 The existing aisle windows are of three cinquefoiled 

 lights with tracery in the heads, and have all been 

 renewed on the north side." Externally the bays are 

 divided by buttresses, and the wall finishes with a 

 straight parapet. 



The clearstory is lighted by a single lancet to each 

 bay, with the hood mould continued along the internal 

 face of the wall as a string-course, but externally there 

 is an arcade of three moulded lancets to each bay 

 filling the whole of the space between the buttresses, 

 the middle one only being pierced. The arches are 

 of two orders, the outer moulded, springing both 

 internally and externally from angle shafts with capitals 

 and moulded bases. On the south side all the capitals 

 are carved, but on the north they are plainly moulded, 

 except in the eastern bay. The easternmost window 

 on each side is 9 in. taller than the others, perhaps to 

 throw additional light on to the rood, but the in- 

 equality is skilfully masked on the south side by the 

 hood mould being carried along the wall at the same 

 level throughout, taking the arch of the taller light 

 at the springing and those of the other windows 9 in. 

 above. The difference, scarcely marked inside, is 

 more noticeable on the exterior. On the north side 

 the arrangement of the hood mould is all but reversed, 

 the wall having apparently been built from the west 

 eastward. Beginning at the springing line of the 

 arches of the western clearstory windows it continues 

 at that level to just beyond the easternmost wall shafts 

 where it is stepped up 9 in. to the taller end window. 

 The roofs of the nave and chancel have overhanging 

 eaves. 



The 12th-century south doorway evidently under- 

 went some alteration when it was re-used in the 

 present structure. It originally consisted of two 

 orders, both richly moulded with zigzag ornament, 

 which was continued down the jambs under a cham- 

 fered hood mould carved on the underside with six- 

 leaved flowers. When the stonework was refixed the 

 jamb mouldings of the outer order were moved out- 

 wards along the face of the wall, and in the nooks thus 

 left were inserted circular shafts with moulded capitals 

 and bases, the square order of the arch sitting rather 

 awkwardly on the circular capitals, and the hood 

 mould resting on the outer zigzags. 



The tower consists internally of three stages, the 

 lower one being the full height of the church 

 with a vault which springs from capitals level with the 

 string-course under the clearstory window, and is 35 ft. 

 in height to the crown. Over this are the ringing 

 chamber and the belfry, and the tower terminates in an 



^ The spacing of the bays, measuring 

 between the piers and counting from the 

 east end, is as follows : (l) i i ft. lo in. ; 

 (2) 10 ft. 11 in. ;{3) 11 ft. ;(4) 10 ft. 1 1 in. ; 

 (5) 9 f'- 3i '■>• i (6) 9 ft- 9 '"• There is 

 apparently no structural reason for the 

 contraction of the western bays. 



^ Antiq. viii, 169. 



^ * The only remaining way of explain- 

 ing the actual state of things, short of 

 w.-inton reclcleasncss or stupidity, would 

 seem to be that an irregular curvature 

 with an uneven springing line having 

 been designed for the arches originally, 

 and a certain number of voussoirs cut to 

 that form, the idea, before the arches 



282 



were actually turned, was abandoned and 

 the prepared stones worked up on a nearly 

 level springing line in the way we now 

 sec* {Arch. Aei. xvii, 232). 



^* The tracery is modern, replacing 

 * dreadful sashes,' but probably reprcsenti 

 more or less the design of the 15th-cen- 

 tury windows. 



