The Architecture of Mahnesbury Abbey Church. 99 



Smaller Perpendicular changes. — During the Perpendicular period 

 some smaller alterations also took place. Tracery was inserted in 

 the Norman windows in the same barbarous manner as at Peter- 

 borough and Romsey ; the cloister seems also to have been of this 

 date ; at least, a doorway of this style and a small piece of vaulting 

 remain at the north-east corner of the nave, inserted under the 

 Norman doorway, whose height was probably inconsistent with the 

 Perpendicular roofing. The recasing of the aisle wall prevents any 

 evidence appearing there. It may however have been merely a 

 Perpendicular roof added to an earlier cloister, as the doorway and 

 the arrangement of the windows show that a cloister had existed 

 in this position from the first erection of the present church. 



Ecclesiology, 8fG. — I have already mentioned those features in the 

 ecclesiology of the church which are directly connected with its 

 architecture. I may also mention the two stone screens at the east 

 ends of the aisles, of Perpendicular date, but with Decorated 

 tracery. There is also a projection in one of the bays of the tri- 

 forium in the south side, but much too small for a minstrels' gallery; 

 it was probably a watching-place of some kind. 



General aspect. — The abbey is seen very well from most points ; 

 the south side, that on which the town lies, has a good-sized church- 

 yard, while towards the north all is open country. There is a steep 

 slope almost immediately to the north, — it must have been imme- 

 diately to the north of the cloister, — and from the rising ground 

 opposite the effect is exceedingly good. The excess of height 

 comes out here most conspicuously ; when the towers and the high 

 roof existed, the effect must have been utterly unlike the long and 

 comparatively low naves of most of our Norman minsters. The 

 open lantern-arch also shows well, and the whole groups pleasingly 

 with the old house to the north-east which contains portions of the 

 conventual buildings. But I am not quite sure whether the arch 

 does not show to still better effect in the ascent of the steep hill in 

 the principal street of the town, rising over the adjoining houses, 

 and grouping with the ancient market-cross. 



The ruins of the old parish church, which I have already 

 mentioned, partly stand as usual near the abbey. Its steeple, u 



h2 



