4 6 
SELBY ABBEY AND ITS BUILDERS. 
commenced two more on the south side, starting from the apse 
and working east. The Sacristy is also of this period, and bears 
a striking resemblance, as also does the Aisle wall, to our Abbey 
of St. Mary. Afterwards the remaining portion of the South Aisle 
and two piers eastward were .completed. Then followed the 
beautiful East window and buttresses, the remaining portion of 
the Choir westward, the rebuilding of the East Arcade of the 
North Transept. These works then took the place of Abbot 
Hugh’s Norman Presbytery and its side chapel. The remaining 
additions were the Lathom Chapel and the Great Window in the 
North Transept, both in the Perpendicular style. Plate IV. 
The upper stage of the tower was re-erected in 1702, to replace the 
one which fell in 1690. The cost of material and labour must have 
been abnormally low at this time. This catastrophe completely 
destroyed the South Transept, which was never rebuilt. Two 
bays of the South Aisle were also ruined, but these were rebuilt 
in the style of the period, and remained an eyesore until this 
part of the Church was restored with praiseworthy skill by Mr. 
Ocdrid Scott in 1890. 
The exterior conveys the idea of a very lengthy building, and it 
is remarkable for the simplicity and boldness of its detail. 
In the centre of the west front is a beautiful Transitional 
Norman doorway, the arch being highly enriched with a variety 
of zdg-zag moulded work. 
Before the restoration, by the late Sir Gilbert Scott, about 
1 871 -73, the embattled parapet was continued right across the 
front, but the central portion was then removed and the present 
gable erected, and is a 19th century creation. 
The North Porch is a fine piece of Transitional Norman work. 
The Aisle windows of the Choir, of Geometrical design, are 
very similar to those of St. Mary’s Abbey, York. The windows 
of the Clerestory have flowing tracery approaching the flamboyant. 
A curious feature on the traceried parapets is the “ seated figures ” ; 
these also occur on the open traceried parapet of the Choir 
Clerestory passage, inside the Church. The beautiful open 
traceried spirelets. 
The East window is a magnificent example of flowing tracery. 
The seven lights are filled with ancient stained glass. Fortun¬ 
ately this was very little damaged by the recent fire. 
Of the original Norman Central Tower, only a fragment 
remains at the north-west corner. 
