

470 Malmesbury Abbey. 



the site of the presbytery, which if correct shows that the eastern 

 arm was vaulted at that period like the rest of the church. 



Whether the Lady chapel was part of the scheme of enlargement, 

 as it was at St. Albans, it is impossible to say. The foundations 

 of the two southern buttresses were fonnd 14| ft. from centre to 

 centre, showing that the chapel was divided into three bays, it 

 being 48f ft. long by 22f ft. wide according to Worcester's measure 

 ments. Some 25ft. to the south of the easternmost bay a stone 

 coffin was found. 



The high altar would be in the centre of the apse, as at Winchester, 

 Norwich, and St. Augustine's Canterbury, and, as at those places, 

 it does not seem to have been moved in later days. 



The south transept was 50 ft. in length by 28 ft. wide, and 

 doubtless had originally an apsidal chapel to the east. The whole 

 has been destroyed save the west wall, which stands for two-thirds 

 of its height (Figs. 14, 15). It is divided by half-round shafts into 

 three bays of irregular widths, which are formed of three stages, 

 as the rest of the church. Tbe northernmost bay has in the first 

 stage the pointed archway of two members to the nave aisle ; the 

 triforium stage is occupied by a round arch on scalloped capitals 

 and jamb shafts embracing three small round arches carried by 

 detached columns, and is built up solid to strengthen the abut- 

 ment of the central tower ; and the clearstory stage retains the 

 northernmost jamb of a window of the fourteenth century of similar 

 character to those of the nave, with the start of a vault of the same 

 date which sprang from capitals about 3 ft. above the string-course 

 under the clearstory. 



The two other bays are similar in design, though the southern 

 is 21 ft. wide, so arranged to allow of a wide apsidal chapel opposite. 

 In the lowest stage are round windows with deep splays and small 

 columns at the internal angles, with a wall arcade of simple round 

 arches on detached columns with cushion capitals. The triforium 

 stage has a wall passage with a round-headed window, having 

 detached jamb shafts internally, and on each side a narrow round- 

 headed opening with continuous roll and a subsidiary arch at a 

 lower level inside, similar to those at Worcester and Glastonbury. 



