36 



The Parish Church of 8. Michael, Merc. 



and organ-loft arches were raised can be exactly identified. The 

 chancel arch is of the west-country panelled type, without label, 

 the added part of the jarnbs and the arch being entirely new work 

 of Doulting stone ; in the case of the organ-loft the old green stone 

 arch was re-used, but with new springers and the jambs heightened, 

 the old springers being cut off and left in situ. The raising of 

 these arches and the consequent weakening of the pier from which 

 they spring was doubtless the reason for filling up the space in it 

 occupied by the rood-loft stairs. 



The arcades between the nave and aisles are of five bays, the 

 spaces being divided as between the wall-face of the tower and the 

 eastern respond — the westernmost bays are therefore narrower by 

 the projection of the east buttresses of the tower against which they 

 abut. The columns are tall and slender, and consist in section of 

 semi- circular attached shafts on the cardinal faces with hollows 

 between — the four shafts having deep moulded bases and moulded 

 caps stopping the outer order of the arch-mould, which is an ogee 

 instead of a plain roll like the shaft ; the hollows are continued 

 round the arch. The arches are pointed ; over each arch on the 

 south side is a three-light pointed clerestory window, 1 and the same 

 is repeated on the north side, but is visible on the inside only, and 

 built solid (not subsequently blocked up, as Hoare thought) on the 

 outside : this was doubtless owing to the high-pitched roof which 

 had been put on the north aisle as compared with the lean-to or 

 flat- spanned roof on the south. The absence of labels to both arches 

 and windows is noticeable, and this flat treatment was no doubt 

 intended to receive colour decoration, which there is evidence 

 to show covered the interior of the building. The joints of the 

 columns are bedded on oyster-shells, except in the re-built parts, 

 where sheet-lead is used. 



The nave roof still remains, it is of the collared and braced 

 rafter type, with longitudinal moulded ribs intersecting with the 

 main circular ribs. The cornice is a richly-moulded one with carved 



1 The tracery to the south windows had disappeared and was renewed, copied 

 from the blind windows on the north, in 1856. 



