230 The Churches of Purton and Wanborough. 



evidently removed and reinstated when the present tower was built. 



Early thirteenth century. The nave appears to have been re-built 

 at this period, but of this work only the cylindrical piers of the 

 two arcades, with their caps and. bases, remain, and the bases are 

 missing on the eastern responds against the central tower. Although 

 the north and south piers are evidently coeval, the capitals of the 

 former are richly carved with conventional foliage characteristic of 

 the style, whilst those of the latter are only moulded. These piers 

 were apparently increased in height nearly two centuries later, as 

 will be presently noticed. 



A little later followed the erection of the present chancel, the 

 walls of which (with the exception of the east wall, which was 

 rebuilt during the restoration of the Church by Mr. Butterfield, in 

 1872) are all of this date, though there have been many later 

 insertions. An original lancet window remains in the north wall 

 near the central tower, but it is built up and must have been in 

 disuse since the fifteenth century when the sacristy was erected 

 against the outside of it : the doorway made at this later period for 

 communication between chancel and sacristy, cuts into this window : 

 this is now also built up. In the south wall of the chancel, but 

 further eastward, are portions of a similar window cut into by the 

 archway opening into the chapel erected at a later period. In the 

 south wall of the sacrarium the original Early English piscina 

 exists : it is of large size and has two shelves. 



There is an interesting thirteenth century niche, with foliated 

 corbel and rich deeply-cut mouldings, built into the later gable of 

 the south transept : this is shown in the sketch view, Plate I. 



Fourteenth century. At about the middle of this century the 

 chapel on the south side of the chancel appears to have been added, 

 and the archway referred to above cut through the wall of the 

 latter. The three-light east window here is a beautiful specimen of 

 " Flowing Decorated/'' The window and doorway in the south 

 wall are evidently later insertions, coeval with the aisles. A 

 " Decorated" piscina with shelf, in the south wall, shows this to 

 have been a chantry. 



The central tower and spire, and the north and south transepts 



