1/0 EXGLISH MEDIAEVAL ARCHITECTURE. 



that our subject is to be narrowed to ecclesiastical ex- 

 amples, as those of civil buildings are extremely scarce 

 in this county. The Castles of Tamworth and Dudley 

 are the only ancient ones now in any way inhabited, 

 those of Chartley, and Heleigh, and Tutbury being mere' 

 ruins. The old bridge across the River Trent at Burton 

 is now being pulled down, and soon will be lost to us 

 its varied forms with its picturesque effects. 



It will therefore be necessary in the first place to 

 remind you of the several features which go to make up 

 the fabric of a church, and then proceed to point out 

 the characteristics of these features in the several sub- 

 divisions of our subject. First, to refer to the arrange- 

 ment of plan. The main point here, throughout the whole 

 period, has been the separate accommodation for priests 

 and attendants, and for the people. To this rule there is 

 not any exception. The chancel or eastern portion of 

 the church, where the holy rites had to be administered, 

 was always planned as a separate part of the whole 

 church, and the place for the people was attached to 

 it westward. The former part is called the chancel and 

 the latter the body of the church. These two portions 

 were always screened from one another. The remains 

 of these ancient screens exist in all parts of this 

 county, as at Blore, Madeley, and Swinnerton. The 

 chancel is generally of ample dimensions : the floor raised 

 above the level of the body of the church, the eastern 

 termination being in this county generally flat, with the 

 exceptions of the Cathedral of Lichfield, the Abbey of 

 Croxden, and the late example of Barton-under-Needwood, 

 which are apsidal. The body of the church took various 

 forms : 1st, the simple parallelogram ; 2nd, the nave 



