was not the Church of the Priory. 



21 



and that is a matter of importance, as regards this controversy. 

 Mr. Kemm says : — " The west end of the nave formerly contained 

 a three-light window, with two quatrefoils in its point. Having 

 become somewhat dilapidated, the end was taken down, and re-built, 

 with the present window, in the Early English style, when the 

 Church was restored." Mr. Kemm, I may say, strongly condemned 

 this so-called restoration. He says further: — "In taking down 

 the old wall, the remains of a spiral staircase were found." Now, 

 from this description, it would appear that the window was 

 mediaeval, and the spiral staircase would be more likely to occur 

 at the west end than at any intermediate point. It is an argument 

 in favour of the nave never having been any longer than at 

 present, though Mr. Kemm was inclined to think that it must have 

 been shortened. 1 



A prolongation of the north wall of the Church extends beyond 

 the west end, in which are the remains of the east jamb of a 

 doorway 2 of, I think, transition Norman character. Those, who 

 think that the nave has been shortened, contend that this door led 

 from the cloister into the Church, as, on that supposition, it must 

 have done. When I examined it, I found that the face of the 

 doorway was to the south, and that fact, though it may not be 

 and pine : the beams spring from grotesque heads." 



Mr. Butterfield is reported to have said that the chancel roof was of no 

 value, but it would hardly appear, from the above, that it was of no archaeo- 

 logical interest. Probably, it was originally of about the same date as the 

 east window. 



1 Sir R. Hoare says : — " The original entrance was at the west end, where 

 there are still remains of the pillars of a retiring portal." This would be most 

 important, if it did not apparently involve a mistake. I have no doubt that 

 Hoare mistook the east jamb, which still remains, of a Norman doorway, in 

 the prolongation of the north nave wall, for the north jamb of a western 

 doorway to the Church. It appears to be this statement of Hoare's that Mr. 

 Kemm was combating when he says (page 14) :— " At the north corner of 

 the west end remains a cluster of shafts which evidently formed part of a 

 deeply recessed doorway, and a hook, still in one of the columns, shows that 

 a gate or door has hung there, most likely leading into the cloister, as it is in 

 the wrong place for a door into the Church." 



2 These remains of a doorway were, I understand, taken down and re -set 

 by Mr. Butterfield, but apparently with due care. The work is not in a very 

 good condition at the present time. 



