It must be confessed that
some ancient specimens have been immoderately over-rated,
and the olden art has altogether been enveloped in such
mystery as to cause _modern_ attempts to be unfairly
estimated.
[6] Beauties of England, vol. vi. p. 111.
[7] Essays on Gothic Architecture, 1802, p. 144, 148.
"In the North Aisle, a little to the left as you enter from the porch,
stands a very ancient granite font, perhaps of Saxon workmanship; the
basin is round, but the exterior form is square, and, although mounted
on mean stone, still maintains its station upon a raised space of
Saxon brick; a circumstance worthy of remark, as the original
situation of the font has of late occasioned some little controversy.
It is also curious, that the walls on the south side should be far
less massive than those on the north, though both unquestionably of
the same aera. The windows in each aisle are, for the most part,
circular, and each is decorated occasionally with Norman capitals and
groinings."[8] The aisles, on each side, are much lower than the body
of the nave, and in the north aisle is a cinquefoil arch, with Gothic
canopy and crockets, resting on short columns of Purbeck stone, over
an elegant altar tomb. A modern inscription assigns it to "Petrus de
Sancta Maria, 1295.
Pages:
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29