218 EVOLUTION OF THE TOWN CHURCH. 



with its elegant and well-proportioned arcading, in contrast 

 with that in the West Nave. 



There the difference from the arcading at the Eastern 

 end of the Church is most marked. The arches are of the 

 most rude description and not the handiwork of a skilled 

 craftsman. The jointing does not radiate but is irregular in 

 its setting, and the general workmanship is very inferior to 

 the arcading mentioned above. The arches themselves are 

 clumsy and are not even symmetrical, and though quaint and 

 characteristic of the times, one cannot help wishing that 

 the design of the builders of the Tower had been carried out. 



The stonework of the Tower itself is of very fine work- 

 manship. Tradition relates that the whole was wrought in 

 France, shipped over here and erected, and its appearance 

 bears this out. Apparently also the facing of the Eastern 

 Wall and the frame of the window came over at the same 

 time. The stone is of the same kind, the coursing of the 

 ashlar is similar, and the setting of the Eastern window of the 

 Church is identical with the setting of the Eastern window in 

 the Tower. 



We have now arrived at the plan as shown on Fig. 3, 

 the cruciform church with two chapels on either side of the 

 matrix, so to speak, of the whole building. Next came the 

 continuation of these two chapels in their logical sequence on 

 each side of the nave as in Fig. 4. The Church again has a 

 symmetrical shape, but the cruciform building has given way 

 to an irregular oblong. The entrance was still at the west, 

 and the ornamental West Entrance, which is far too little 

 appreciated now, was put in at the same time, but the 

 inconvenience of the principal entrance of the Church being 

 in a very narrow street (there were houses standing within a 

 few feet on the opposite side until they were pulled down not 

 many years ago to make way for the New Market), led the 

 congregation to seek another means of entering at a more 

 convenient spot, and the Porch facing High Street was the 

 result. Here again, as in the case of the Tower, they gave of 

 their best, and spared no pains or expense to make it a worthy 

 addition. This Porch was originally flat roofed, the parvise 

 over being added later, as Ave shall see. 



The next addition was to lengthen the South Transept 

 and make a South aisle of it. The window was transferred 

 from the place it occupied to the new end, and later this 

 window was lowered at the cill level by about six feet, in 

 order to give light to the seats under the galleries, which were 

 later put up in this part. (See Plan 5.) 



