The Principles of Gothic Ecclesiastical Architecture Part 8

[Ill.u.s.tration: Roll Moulding, Chacombe Church, Northamptons.h.i.+re.]

A. They approximate more nearly, in section and appearance, those of the thirteenth than those of the fifteenth century, but the members are generally more numerous than in those of the former style; quarter-round, half, and tripart.i.te cylinder mouldings, often filleted along the face and divided by small cavetto mouldings, sometimes deeply cut, are common. The string-course under the windows frequently consists, as in the preceding style, of a simple roll moulding, the upper member of which overlaps the lower. A plain semicylindrical moulding, with a square-edged fillet on the face, is also common, and occurs at the church of Orton-on-the-Hill, Leicesters.h.i.+re. The hood moulding over the windows often consists of a quarter-round or ogee, with a cavetto beneath, and sometimes returns horizontally along the walls as a string-course; a disposition, however, more frequently observable in the Early English style than in this: of such disposition the churches of Harvington, Worcesters.h.i.+re, and of Sedgeberrow, Gloucesters.h.i.+re, may be cited as affording examples. In decorative work we often meet with the ball-flower, one of the most characteristic ornaments of the style, consisting of a ball inclosed within three or four leaves, and sometimes bearing a resemblance to the rose-bud, inserted at intervals in a cavetto or hollow moulding, with the accompaniment, in some instances, of foliage; a four-leaved flower, inserted in the same manner, is also not uncommon.

[Ill.u.s.tration: String-Course, Sedgeberrow Church, Gloucesters.h.i.+re.]

[Ill.u.s.tration: Ball-Flower Ornament, Bloxham Church, Oxfords.h.i.+re, and York Cathedral.]

[Ill.u.s.tration]

[Ill.u.s.tration: Decorated b.u.t.tress, St. Mary Magdalen, Oxford.]

Q. How may the b.u.t.tresses of this style be distinguished?

[Ill.u.s.tration: Flying b.u.t.tress, Salisbury Cathedral.]

A. They were worked in stages, and their set-offs have frequently triangular heads, sometimes plain but often ornamented with crockets and finials of a more decorative character than those of the Early English style. Many b.u.t.tresses have, however, plain slopes as set-offs, and they are frequently placed diagonally at the corners of buildings, as at Dunchurch Church, Warwicks.h.i.+re. The flying b.u.t.tresses at Salisbury Cathedral, in which the thrust is partly counterpoised by pyramidal-headed pinnacles decorated with crockets and finials, are of this age.

Q. What parapet is peculiar to this style?

A. Besides the plain embattled parapet, which is not always easy to be distinguished from other styles, a horizontal blocking course, pierced with foliated or wavy, flowing tracery, which has a rich effect, is common. Of this description specimens occur at St. Mary Magdalen Church, Oxford, and Brailes Church, Warwicks.h.i.+re.

Q. What is observable in the niches of this style?

A. They are very beautiful, and are generally surmounted by triangular or ogee-shaped canopies, enriched with crockets and finials, while the interior of the canopies are groined with numerous small rib mouldings.

The crockets and finials of this style, as decorative embellishments, are peculiarly graceful, chaste, and pleasing in contour.

Q. Was the transition from this style to the next gradual?

A. Both the transition from the Early English to the Decorated style, and from the Decorated to the Florid or Perpendicular, was so gradual, that though many individual details and ornaments were extremely dissimilar, and peculiar to each particular style, we are only able to judge from examples when a change was generally established.

Q. From what cotemporary writers of the fourteenth century can we collect any architectural notices, either general or of detail?

[Ill.u.s.tration: Part of the Altar Screen, Winchester Cathedral.]

A. In Chaucer we find allusions made to _imageries_, _pinnacles_, _tabernacles_, (canopied niches for statuary,) and _corbelles_. Lydgate, in _The Siege of Troy_, in his description of the buildings, adverts to those of his own age, and uses several architectural terms now obsolete or little understood, and some which are not so, as _gargoiles_. In Pierce Ploughman's Creed we have a concise but faithful description of a large monastic edifice of the fourteenth century, comprising the church or minster, cloister, chapter house, and other offices.

Q. What edifices maybe noticed as constructed in this style?

A. In Exeter Cathedral this style may be said generally to prevail, although some portions are of earlier and some of later date. Great part of Lichfield Cathedral was also built during the fourteenth century. The beautiful cloisters adjoining Norwich Cathedral, commenced A. D. 1297, but not finished for upwards of a century, although proceeded with by different prelates from time to time, rank as the most beautiful of the kind we have remaining. Several country churches are wholly or princ.i.p.ally erected in this style. Broughton Church, Oxfords.h.i.+re, may be instanced as an elegant, pleasing, and complete example of plain decorated work.

Trumpington Church, Cambridges.h.i.+re, is also deserving of notice; and Wimington Church, Bedfords.h.i.+re, built by John Curteys, lord of the manor, who died A. D. 1391, is a small but late edifice in the Decorated style.

Annexations were also made during this century to numerous churches of earlier construction, by the erection of additional aisles or chapels as chantries. In all these structures we find more or less, in general appearance, form, and detail, of that extreme beauty and elegance of design which prevailed, as it were, for about a century, and then imperceptibly glided away.

[Ill.u.s.tration: Parapet, Magdalen Church, Oxford.]

FOOTNOTES:

[106-*] The allusion is made to the vaulted roofs of the nave and choir of this cathedral as they existed previous to the late unfortunate and destructive fires.

[109-*] The Flamboyant window, common in France, is not often met with in this country. On the north side of Salford Church, Warwicks.h.i.+re, is, however, a window of this description, filled with flamboyant tracery.

[111-*] For specimens of Decorated windows with flowing tracery in the heads, vide cuts, pp. 12 and 13.

[Ill.u.s.tration: South Porch of Newbold-upon-Avon Church, Warwicks.h.i.+re.]

CHAPTER VIII.

OF THE FLORID OR PERPENDICULAR ENGLISH STYLE.

Q. When may this style be said to have commenced, and how long did it prevail?

A. We find traces of it in buildings erected at the close of the reign of Edward the Third (circa A. D. 1375); and it prevailed for about a century and half, or rather more, till late in the reign of Henry the Eighth (circa A. D. 1539).

Q. Whence does it derive its appellation?

A. From the multiplicity, profusion, and minuteness of its ornamental detail, it has by some received the designation of FLORID; by others, from the mullions of the windows and the divisions of ornamental panel-work running in straight or perpendicular lines up to the head, which is not the case in any earlier style, it has been called and is now better known by the designation of the PERPENDICULAR[121-*].

Q. In what respects did it differ from the style which immediately preceded it?

A. The beautiful flowing contour of the lines of tracery characteristic of the Decorated style was superseded by mullions and transoms, and, in panel-work, lines of division disposed vertically and horizontally; and in lieu of the quarter-round, semi and tripart.i.te roll and small hollow mouldings of the fourteenth century, angular-edged mouldings with bold cavettos became predominant.

Q. Of what kind are the arches of this style?

A. Although, in this style, pointed arches constructed from almost every radius are to be found, the complex four-centred arch, commonly called the Tudor arch, was almost peculiar to it; and the cavetto or wide and rather shallow hollow moulding, a characteristic feature of this style, often appears in the architrave mouldings of pier arches, doorways, and windows, and as a cornice moulding under parapets.

[Ill.u.s.tration: Window, St. Mary's Church, Oxford.]

[Ill.u.s.tration: Mullion, Burford Church, Oxfords.h.i.+re.]

Q. How are the piers of this style, which support the clerestory arches, distinguished from those of an earlier period?

[Ill.u.s.tration: Capital, Piddleton Church, Dorsets.h.i.+re.]

A. The section of a pier, which is common in this style, may be described as formed from a square or parallelogram, with the angles fluted or cut in a bold hollow, and on the flat face of each side of the pier a semicylindrical shaft is attached. The flat faces or sides of the pier and the hollow mouldings at the angles are carried up vertically from the base moulding to the spring of the arch, and thence, without the interposition of any capital, in a continuous sweep to the apex of the arch; but the slender shafts attached to the piers have capitals, the upper members of which are angular-shaped. The base mouldings are also polygonal. Piers and arches of this description are numerous, and occur, amongst other churches, in St. Thomas Church, Salisbury; Cerne Abbas Church, Bradford Abbas Church, and Piddleton Church, Dorsets.h.i.+re; Yeovil Church, Somersets.h.i.+re; and Burford Church, Oxfords.h.i.+re. In some churches a very slender shaft with a capital is attached to each angle of the pier, which is disposed lozengewise, the main body of the pier presenting continuous lines of moulding with those of the arch, unbroken by any capital: as in the piers of Bath Abbey Church, rebuilt early in the sixteenth century. In small country churches we frequently find the architrave mouldings of the arch continued down the piers, which are altogether devoid of any horizontal stop by way of capital. The churches of Brinklow and Willoughby, in Warwicks.h.i.+re, afford instances of this kind. Piers somewhat different to those above described are also to be met with, but are not so common.

Q. What else may be noted respecting some of the piers and arches in this style?

A. The face of the sub-arch or soffit is sometimes enriched with oblong panelled compartments, arched-headed and foliated; and these are continued down the inner sides of the piers. The arches of the tower of Cerne Abbas Church, Dorsets.h.i.+re, and some of the arches in Sherborne Church, in the same county, may be instanced as examples.

[Ill.u.s.tration: Panelled Arch, Sherborne Church, Dorsets.h.i.+re.]

Q. How may we distinguish the doorways and doors of this style?

A. Many doorways of this style, especially during its early progress, were surmounted by crocketted ogee-shaped hood mouldings, terminating with finials. In the most common doorway of this style, however, the depressed four-centred arch appears within a square head, and in general a rectangular hood moulding over; and the spandrels or s.p.a.ces between the spring and apex of the arch and angles of the square head over it are filled with quatrefoils, panelling, foliage, small s.h.i.+elds, or other sculptured ornaments. Sometimes the depressed four-centred arch appears without any hood moulding, and we occasionally meet with a simple pointed arch described from two centres placed within a rectangular compartment.