By Harold Brakspear, F.S.A. 481 



head, and in the east and west sides are single-light windows, 1 

 all having flat oak lintels on the inside. In the north wall is a 

 small loop looking into the church, which had a segmental rear arch. 

 The object of the thickening of the walls of the porch may not 

 be certain, but considering the bold buttresses, quite out of pro- 

 portion to the thrust of the vault, and the awkward way they stop 

 at the top, there is little doubt it was intended to be carried up as a 

 square tower, the idea being abandoned when it was determined to 

 build one over the west end of the nave. A tower in this position 

 does not now exist in any of our large churches, but it occurs at 

 the priory churches of Edington and Brulon, and did exist at St. 

 Eadigund's, near Dover, and at Walsingham. 



The original west front was a prototype of Salisbury, being a 

 great screen wall flanked by turrets and covered with wall panelling. 

 Of this screen the portion covering the south aisle remains to nearly 

 the height of the main wall of the church, and is divided into four 

 stages (fig. 21). The lowest stage is occupied by an interlacing 

 arcade like that in the south aisle and transept ; the second stage 

 is unpanelled, and has a round-headed window with a zig-zag arch 

 and pelleted label, scalloped capitals, and jamb shafts ; the third 

 stage is separated from the last by a billet-ornamented string-course, 

 and is divided into two whole and two half panels with continuous 

 jambs and arches ornamented with double zigzag, of which the two 

 middle arches are subdivided into two small arches ornamented , 

 with pellets and supported on detached columns with scalloped 

 capitals. Above this is a very richly corded string-course. The 

 fourth stage is divided into five plain beaded panels with arched 

 heads but no capitals. Above are two sets-off and a plain face of 

 wall apparently of later date. 



The first, second, and third strings pass round the pilaster op- 

 posite the main wall, which contains a vice from the aisle roof 

 level upwards to the clearstory passage. 



On the south-west angle turret the first and second strings are 

 continuous, and between them are two plain beaded panels on each 



1 The side windows were built up solid, but have recently been opened 

 up and the outer jambs restored. (1913). 



