CAtfFORD CfiURCH. 149 



This door, as so often happens, had been blocked up, and was re- 

 opened at the time of the restoration, a few years ago. A difficult 

 question is suggested by the sexfoil openings, a pair of which are old. 

 The western pair are imitations. That the earlier pair were meant 

 to admit light is what naturally occurs to the mind. But how, when 

 their bases are below the top of the arches which they stand 

 between, and when an early roof must have covered the entire 

 opening, is a great puzzle. Of the latter fact, proof is afforded by 

 the existence of a string-course on the east wall of the north aisle, 

 against the tower, which I interpret as shewing the original rake 

 of a lean-to roof, This, I repeat, must have run up above the top 

 of the sexfoil on that side. But many changes in the roofing of 

 aisles may have taken place in 700 years. 



Hutching, in his first edition, speaks of the church thus : 

 "The whole fabric is very ancient, low, dark, and irregular." 

 His account of its darkness is true enough. The original 

 windows are very small, even for Norman work. There are 

 5 of these, 3 in the south and 2 in tlwj north aisle. They have 

 somewhat peculiar step or ridged splays to cast the light down- 

 wards. All but one have on the outside a rudimentary trefoil 

 heading, and all have a tendency to a top pointing, evincing the 

 lateness of the -work of this part of the church to my mind, and 

 its verging towards the transition into Early English. And 

 there is an undoubted Early English tendency in the mould- 

 ing of the south door, the trefoil heading of which, though 

 not so pointed as it would have been, later by a quarter 

 of a century or so, is a proof of the rising influence of that 

 style on those that built it. Yet the capitals of the pillars 

 in this and in the north door are, as are also those of the 

 massive nave piers, unquestionably Norman, and the mouldings 

 round the doors are similar to those which characterise the nave 

 arches. I call them the roll-crease mouldings, though I believe 

 hood mouldings is the more correct term. The two holes in the 

 walls on either side of the entrance by the south porch should be 

 noticed. They are evidently intended for the bolt which fastened 



