By Harold BraJcspear, F,S.A. 483 



above the two western bays of the nave in a similar way to that of 

 the same date at Hereford. 1 The west, north, and south sides were 

 carried upon the old Norman walls, and a great arch was thrown 

 across the nave, above the vaulting, to take the east side. The 

 springer of this arch remains on the south, and is of three plain 

 members. 



The two columns and the piers of the triforium and clearstory 

 above, which carried this arch, were from the first insufficient for 

 the additional weight of the tower, and to remedy this as far as 

 possible various devices were adopted. Flying arches were inserted 

 across the clearstory window and triforium arch of the third bay 

 from the west, and the main arch of the arcade was underbuilt. 

 The small arches of the triforium of the two western bays were 

 built up solid, but nothing remains to show if any corresponding 

 strengthening was effected in the clearstory. In the opposite 

 direction, to take the thrust of the east arch, an arch was placed 

 beneath the vaulting in the aisle, and above, outside the earlier 

 flying buttresses, an extra pier was built to carry additional flyers, 

 the lowest of which still remains on the south. These buttresses 

 had the support of the west wall of the porch on the south, and 

 the west wall of the cloister on the north. 



This tower contained two of the nine bells which hung in the 

 steeples at the Suppression, and was standing at Leland's visit. It 

 must, however, have fallen very shortly after, though no record 

 exists of the calamity. The east side was from the first an insecure 

 structure, and the removal of the west wall of the cloister doubtless 

 started the collapse. Certain it is that the tower fell northward, 

 destroying three bays of the main wall of the nave with the aisle, 

 and bringing down in its fall no less than five bays of the main 

 vault. Instead of any attempt being made to re-erect the fallen 

 building, a solid wall was erected across the church in line with 

 the sixth pair of piers, having bold buttresses opposite the main 

 walls, and banded by string-courses in line with the springers of 

 the main arcade and main vaulting. In the south buttress, to light 



1 Shrewsbury Abbey tower, of similar date, and in a similar position, 

 was built from the ground with solid side walls. 



