£62 



Notes on the Churches 



but I confess that I have never yet seen an instance of it where 

 some more practical reason could not be given for this peculiarity. 

 For instance, at Cherington, and here, the subsoil is green sand 

 which, although an excellent foundation when a firm bed of it is 

 reached (as at S. John's, Devizes) , is very treacherous near the 

 surface (as at S. Mary's, in the same town) ; hence we see that the 

 buildings have settled — I shall speak further of this when we come 

 to the tower. Then the later side walls here are built to batter on 

 the inside face; they are some 6in. thicker at the base than at the 

 root' level : but surely this is only intended to give strength ! 

 Probably the fifteenth century builders were warned in this respect 

 by the older walls having become so much settled that it was 

 necessary to re-build them. 



But to return to this arch — it will be seen that it is composed of 

 three orders of the chevron moulding — all the work being on the 

 west face, so that the inner member is fair with the east face of the 

 wall. There is no label, but this has probably been cut away for 

 the rood loft — the doorway for access to which is seen high up in 

 the north wall. The abacus of the cap is carried across the nave on 

 each side as a string course. 



The nave was, as I remarked before, re-built in the fifteenth 

 century, when the tower was erected. There are two of the nave 

 windows of this period left — one in the north and one in the south 

 walls, both have had their tracery cut out. The roof of this period 

 remains and is of a somewhat peculiar type, and the form of the 

 spandrels suggest the idea that the pitch has been altered ; but this 

 is not so. The corbels supporting the principals represent a bishop 

 and a king alternately. 



The tower is of unusual beauty. It was probably erected at about 

 the middle of the fifteenth century in the form to which it has 

 recently been restored, and I would ask you to especially notice the 

 proportions of the stair turret, and the pinnacle on each set-off of 

 the buttresses, also the ogee arches of the windows. 



But the builders did not realise the real cause of the settlements 

 in the Norman work — or, at any rate, the proper remedy. They 

 doubtless found the sand was soft near the surface, and they sought 



