Church of S. James, Ahury. 



193 



consisting chiefly of unwrought sarsen boulders of small size with, 

 necessarily coarse mortar joints. 



It is a point worthy of note that these clerestory walls (which 

 had been regarded as of post- Reformation date) have survived the 

 various alterations which they have undergone, without any sign of 

 settlement, and the strength of this early masonry is further shown 

 in the western wall of the Saxon nave, upon portions of which the 

 lofty Perpendicular tower was raised without any indication of 

 failure resulting from it. 



The unusually lofty proportions of the nave as it now exists, as 

 well as the great width of the Church as compared with its length, 

 are due to its early origin and the adherence to its original dimensions 

 in the various alterations which have since been made — the enlarge- 

 ments having been effected by adjuncts to, rather than by any 

 extension of, the Saxon nave. The internal dimensions of the 

 present Church are : — 49ft. 9 in. in width across nave and aisles ; 

 whilst the length of the nave is only 35ft. Sin. The original 

 height of the walls is probably not fully represented by the 24ft. 6in. 

 above the present floor, since the bases of the fourteenth century 

 chancel arch jambs have been buried by a subsequent raising of the 

 floor. I have not, however, been able to discover any reliable in- 

 dication of the original floor-level. 



The removal of these priceless relics of early Christian architecture 

 (in the fortunate recovery of which I have been privileged to be 

 instrumental) is another instance of the necessity for close and 

 constant watchfulness and care on the part of those engaged in 

 pulling about our old Churches, and for not taking for granted any 

 work to be " modern " until it is proved not to be otherwise. I 

 believe that early work is far more common than is generally sup- 

 posed, and that due care and observation would in many cases of 

 restoration have revealed traces of it which have been lost. 



It may be of interest to add that the original fifteenth century 

 roof of the nave has been repaired and retained, and that the new 

 oak ceiling of the north aisle is an exact copy, line for line, of the 

 old one, the original position also of which — above the Saxon string- 

 course — has been preserved. 



