Notes on the Churches 



the chancel, which we shall see presently, and there are fragments 

 built up in the aisle walls, but not in situ. The pitch of the roof 

 of the early nave can be traced on the east face of the tower. 



The body of the Church appears to have been entirely re-built at 

 about the middle of the fifteenth century — the nave, with clerestory, 

 aisles, and north and south porches being* of that date, and the 

 hand of the designer of Road Church can be traced here in the 

 columns of the arcades with the same crested capitals. There are 

 squints in an unusual position on the east wall of the nave on each 

 side of the chancel arch, their direction being towards the high 

 altar. The original sanctus bell- cot remains on the east gable of 

 the nave. The rood-screen has disappeared, but there are pronounced 

 evidences of its having existed, and the two corbels in the east wall 

 probably indicate its level. The Church having been rebuilt at the 

 time when rood-screens were coming more into use the staircase for 

 access was made a part of the plan, and the inconvenient arrange- 

 ment usually met with where the rood-screen and stairs were inserted 

 is avoided. The staircase is made quite a feature here, and is carried 

 up the full height of the arch wall ; it starts from the north aisle 

 and has a doorway opening out on to the loft, which probably existed 

 over the side altar there ; a second door — the use of which is not 

 apparent — looks into the chancel ; and a third, higher up, afforded 

 access to the principal loft across the chancel arch, whence the 

 staircase is continued on to the roof. There are the usual accessories 

 of side altars at the end of each aisle, the south aisle having a 

 piscina, with shelf, in the south wall, and an aumbry in the east 

 wall — also a squint pointing in the direction of the high altar, The 

 remains in the north aisle comprise a niche and part of the reredos 

 in the east wall, besides the piscina. 



There is a curious instance in this Church of how the old builders 

 got over a mistake in setting out their work : the windows of the 

 aisle are not properly arranged to correspond with the bays of the 

 arcade, so that the roof-principals cut into the heads of the windows 

 — a position in which it would seem to be impossible to get a corbel ; 

 and more prosaic people might have done away with the brace 

 altogether in such a case. But these old builders were above such 



