450 Notes on the Churches of Ashley, Berwick Bassett, etc. 



excepting the tower, which possesses this feature — the wall is also, 

 unlike the rest, faced with freestone. There is a large buttress 

 near the east end of this wall with plinth, base and two set-offs 

 which appears to have been added at about the same time to resist 

 some movement in the abutment of the chancel arch. 



The south door is a rather poor one of late Perpendicular, with 

 four-centred arch. 



The two-light fifteenth century window before referred to, in- 

 serted in the earlier wall of the north aisle, is of a very heavy and 

 quite different type from the one last described, and it has no label. 



The western tower is a splendid specimen of this Wiltshire type 

 of the latter half of the fifteenth century, and it at once inspires 

 one with the feeling that it is an honest and thorough bit of work, 

 and built with good stone, many of the blocks being of unusually 

 large dimensions. The tower is four stages in height above an 

 unusually deep base. The stages are divided by string-courses 

 outside, the central one heavier than the others (Plate XVIIL). 

 It has diagonal buttresses carried up to the commencement of the 

 upper stage, with pinnacles on one of the set-offs. The stair-turret 

 is carried up square on plan to the middle of the third stage, 

 above which it is octagonal and rises above the tower. Both hava 

 embattled parapets. 



The lower stage has a fine three-light pointed and labelled west 

 window, deeply recessed jamb and sill mouldings, and the lower 

 string is dropped to come under it; below this is a four-centred 

 doorway with square returns to its label. The archway into the 

 nave is of tall and graceful proportions. Attached shafts on the 

 jambs, having moulded caps and bases, support the inner of the 

 three orders of the arch ; the hollow of the outer order is carried 

 down. A single-light window on the north lights the third stage, 

 and the belfry stage has four two-light pointed windows with labels. 

 These and the parapet are much poorer than the rest of the 

 work, and seem to indicate a falling-off of funds by the time this 

 level was reached. 



The font is a circular one of Transitional-Norman type, orna- 

 mented with large foliage around the upper part. There are foot 



