THE CHURCH OP ST. MICHAEL PENKEVEL. 39 



Staircase at the south-east angle of the Tower ; and the same stair- 

 case leads, through a door with square, trefoiled head, to another 

 chamber, over the Porch. Mr. Street suggests that this chamber 

 was probably a Sacristy, rather than a Parvise ; and, as rebuilt, it is 

 again to serve as the Priest's Yestry. Mr. Street founds his belief 

 that it was originally a Sacristy, on the fact that there was no other 

 place for one, and, with four altars to serve, it would be difficult to 

 dispense with it. It was not a residence for a priest, because the 

 arch-priest and three chaplains lived together in a collegiate house. 

 Hals describes "the convent house in the churchyard for the 

 chanter's residence " as still standing in his time. — There is not, 

 and there seems never to have been, a Chancel Arch. The Tower 

 Arch springs from corbels in the side walls, and being of the same 

 width as the nave, gives to it great increase of length. Mr. Street, 

 however, considers this arrangement to be defective, because so im- 

 portant a feature as a Tower ought to be seen and felt, not only 

 outside, but inside also. — The South Transept is set singularly 

 askew; its total length being about 25 feet, it inclines about two 

 feet toward the east. Mr. Street is unable to suggest any other 

 reason for this peculiarity, than that possibly its builder was 

 hampered by the position of some grave in the grave-yard of the 

 older Church. — The Chancel is unusually small ; its length is only 

 one-fourth of the whole length of the Church inside. 



The Steeple has been entirely rebuilt; it was in a ruinous con- 

 dition, and, though heavily buttressed on all sides, was so badly 

 built as to be unsafe. Moreover, there was no proper space in it for 

 the bells ; the belfry was very low and mean, and its whole upper 

 stage seemed to have been altered and modernized. It is said there 

 is some record of the Towfer having been lowered by Admiral Bos- 

 cawen, (who died in 1761), in order that it might not present a land- 

 mark to the enemy. The belfry window on the north side looked 

 like the lower part of an old window, but the others were very poor 

 and modern looking. The new steeple, therefore, follows the old 

 work up to the level of the bottom of the belfry ; and a belfry stage 

 is added, with lofty roofs to the tower and its staircase turret. The 

 Buttresses are rebuilt pretty much in their old form; they are 

 larger than necessary, but give a massive solid character to the work; 

 and Mr. Street remarks : "In these days massiveness and solidity 

 are too seldom attempted ; we strive too much to attain the greatest 

 effect at the least expenditure ; and the result is, that we fail to give 



