By E. Towry Whyte, M.A., F.S.A. 609 



up when the wider chancel was built, whose walls are not bonded 

 to the older work ; neither is the added wall bonded to the tower, 

 but simply abuts it. I was very doubtful as to the date of this 

 wall, and thought it might be late, but Mr. St. John Hope suggests 

 that this added arch and walling is of the " Decorated " time, and 

 that on the completion of the widened chancel the older walls were 

 removed, hence it was not bonded to either the tower or chancel 

 walls on the north side. On the south side it is bonded to what 

 was formerly the outside of the staircase turret, which no doubt 

 was bonded to the old chancel wall, and as it was necessary to 

 have a means of access from the stairs to the bell chamber, the 

 wall was made sufficiently thick to get a passage in it ; the original 

 means of getting there being on the flat ceiling above the old 

 ohancel. 



The Tower. The tower is supported on four massive piers with 

 detached shafts resting on moulded bases and square plinths ; the 

 capitals to these shafts are curious (see Plate III.). Mr. St. John 

 Hope suggests that they were at first left in block for carving 

 which from some cause was never done, and that they were then 

 finished off as they are now. The arches above are well-propor- 

 tioned pointed ones, the inner order being a chamfer ; next to it a 

 bold roll moulding and the outer one a chamfer, with a roll moulded 

 hood outside. The space between the piers is covered by quad- 

 ripartite vaulting with boldly moulded ribs. The vault is pierced 

 for six bell ropes and a circular hole in the western compartment 

 for raising the bells. The tower above contains little for remark, 

 ■except that in the passage at the top of the stairs the line of the 

 old choir roof can be seen, and on the lintel of the doorway into 

 the chamber over the vault is incised IW IVN 1675- The 

 walls of this part of the tower are badly cracked internally. Over 

 this chamber is the added story built after the fall of the spire ; it 

 is approached by a wooden stair. In this story the bells are now 

 hung ; they are six in number and have been cast at different times 

 — four in 1700, one in 1720, and another in 1783. On the north 

 side of this story is the clock face. The roof is a lead flat. 

 VOL. xxxvi. — no. cxiv. 2 s 



