Decorated English arches-piers-buttresses.

Decorated English Arches,

Though the arch most commonly used for general purposes in this style is the equilateral one, yet this is by no means constant. At York this arch is used, but at Ely a drop arch. The architrave mouldings of interior arches, do not differ much from those of the last style, except that they are, perhaps, more frequently continued down the pier without being stopt at the line of capitals. The dripstones are of delicate mouldings, generally supported by heads. The arches of the galleries are often beautifully ornamented with foliated heads, and often fine canopies; and in these arches the ogee arch is sometimes used, as it is freely in composition in the heads of windows.

Of this style, or perhaps of the next, is that singular yet beautiful reversed arch in the nave of Wells' cathedral.

Decorated English Piers.

A new disposition of shafts marks very decidedly this style in large buildings, they being arranged diamond wise, with straight sides, often containing as many shafts as will stand close to each other at the capital, and only a fillet or small hollow between them. The shaft which runs up to support the roof, often springs from a rich corbel between the outer architravé mouldings of the arches; Exeter is a fine example. The capitals and bases of these shafts are much the same as those described in the section on doors. Another pier of the richest effect, but seldom executed, is that at York minster, where the centre shaft is larger than those on each side, and the three all run through the spring of the roof. Three also support the side of the arch; these shafts are larger in proportion than those of Exeter, &c. and stand close without any moulding between.

Another pier, common towards the end of this style, and the beginning of the next, is composed of four shafts, about two-fifths engaged, and a fillet and bold hollow half as large as the shafts between each; this makes a very light and beautiful pier, and is much used in smaller churches. All these kinds of piers have their shafts sometimes filleted, as are also often some of the architrave mouldings. In small country churches, the multangular flat-faced pier seems to have been used.

Decorated English Buttresses.

These, though very various, are all more or less worked in stages, and the set-offs variously ornamented, some plain, some moulded slopes, some with triangular heads, and some with pannels; some with niches in them, and with all the various

Decorated English tablets-niches.

degrees of ornament. The corner buttresses of this style are often set diagonally. In some few instances small turrets are used as buttresses. The buttresses are variously finished, some slope under the cornice, some just through it; some run up through the battlement, and are finished with pinnacles of various kinds.

Decorated English Tablets.

The cornice is very regular, and though in some large buildings it has several mouldings, it principally consists of a slope above, and a deep sunk hollow, with an astragal under it; in these hollows, flowers at regular distances are often placed, and in some large buildings, and in towers, &c. there are frequently heads, and the cornice almost filled with them. The dripstone is of the same description of mouldings, but smaller, and this too is sometimes enriched with flowers. The small tablet running under the window has nearly the same mouldings, but mostly without the astragal, and this sometimes runs round the buttress also. The dripstone very seldom, if ever, runs horizontally, though in a few instances a return is used instead of the more common corbel head or shield.

The basement tablets are sometimes numerous, and often have the reversed ogee repeated.

Decorated English Niches.

These form one of the greatest beauties of the style, and are very various, but may be divided into two grand divisions, which, if necessary, might be again variously divided, such is their diversity, but these two may be sufficient. The first are pannelled niches, the fronts of whose canopies are even with the face of the wall or buttress they are set in. These have their interiors either square with a sloping side, or are regular semihexagons, &c. In the first case, if not very deep, the roof is a plain arch, but in the latter case the roof is often most delicately groined, and sometimes a little shaft is set in the angles or the ribs of the roof, supported by small corbels. The pedestals are often high and much ornamented.

The other division of niches have projecting canopies; these are of various shapes, some conical like a spire, some like several triangular canopies joined at the edges, and some with ogee heads; and in some very rich buildings are niches with the canopy bending forwards in a slight ogee, as well as its contour being ogee; these are generally crowned with very large rich finials, and very highly enriched. There were also, at the latter part of this style, some instances of the niche with a flat

Decorated English ornaments-steeples.

beaded canopy, which became so common in the next style. These projecting niches have all some projecting base, either a large corbel, or a basement pedestal carried up from the next projecting face below. All these niches are occasionally flanked by small buttresses, and their pinnacles; those of the first kind have very often beautiful shafts.

The chancel stalls, of this style, are many of them uncommonly rich, their whole faces being often covered with ornamental carving.

Decorated English Ornaments.

As the word decorated is used to designate this style, and particularly as the next is often called florid, as if it were richer in ornament than this, it will be necessary to state, that though ornament is often profusely used in this style, yet these ornaments are like Grecian enrichments, and may be left out without destroying the grand design of the building, while the ornaments of the next are more often a minute division of parts of the building, as pannels, buttresses, &c. rather than the carved ornaments used in this style. In some of the more magnificent works, a variety of flowered carvings are used all over, and yet the building does not appear overloaded; while some of the later perpendicular buildings have much less flowered carvings, yet look overloaded with ornaments, from the fatiguing recurrence of minute parts, which prevent the general design being comprehended.

The tomb of the Percys at Beverley, and one or two at York, are as rich as can well be conceived in ornamental carvings, yet the general design is noble, and may be clearly understood, while the design of Henry the VII.'s chapel can hardly be comprehended, from the constant repetition of the same ornaments, which, if worked singly, are not very rich.

The flower of four leaves in a hollow moulding, has already been spoken of, and in these hollow mouldings various other flowers are introduced, as well as heads and figures, some of them very grotesque; and as to capitals there are very seldom found two alike. The foliage forming the crockets and finials is also extremely rich, and the pinnacle, in its various forms, is almost constantly used. The spandrells of ornamental arches are sometimes filled with beautiful foliage, perhaps few superior to some in the church at Ely, which was the lady chapel of the cathedral.

Decorated English Steeples.

Of this style are many of these beautiful ornaments of the country; at the commencement of it, several fine spires were

Decorated English steeples

added to towers then existing, and in after times many very fine towers and spires were erected. Grantham and several other Lincolnshire spires are very fine, and there are many good towers. These are generally flanked with buttresses, many of which are diagonal, and are generally crowned with fine pinnacles. Perhaps the church of St. Michael, at Coventry, is as elegant a spire and tower as any of this age, and is curious, from the spire standing on a lantern above the tower. In Lincolnshire and some of the adjoining counties, there are many village churches with fine spires, and some of this style; of these, perhaps few, if any, exceed in beauty of proportion and delicacy of composition that of Norton, a village in Leicestershire, a few miles to the left of the road from Uppingham to Leicester. The singular crowned steeple of St. Nicholas, at Newcastle upon Tyne, is either of this style or early in the next.

There are many of the towers of this age whose windows, or at least the mullions, seem to have been renewed in the perpendicular style, and indeed, in small churches, it is not always easy precisely to fix the style of the tower because of these alterations.

Although they have some appearances of the windows which belong to the next style, yet to this age should be referred the towers of York minster, which possess uncommon beauty.

Though we have not the advantage of any one large building of this style in its pure state, like Salisbury, yet we have the advantage of four most beautiful models, which are in the highest preservation, besides many detached parts. These are at Lincoln, Exeter, York and Ely, and though differently worked, are all of excellent execution. Of these, Exeter and York are far the largest, and York, from the uncommon grandeur and simplicity of the design, is certainly the finest; ornament is no where spared, yet there is a simplicity which is peculiarly pleasing. Amongst the many smaller churches, Trinity church at Hull deserves peculiar notice, as its decorated part is of a character which could better than any be imitated in modern work, from the great height of its piers, and the smallness of their size. The remains of Melrose abbey are extremely rich, and though in ruins, its parts are yet very distinguishable. In imitations of this style, great delicacy is required to prevent its running into the next, which, from its straight perpendicular and horizontal lines, is so much easier worked; whatever orna-' ments are used, should be very cleanly executed, and highly

finished.

Perpendicular English doors-windows.

OF THE FOURTH, or PERPENDICULAR STYLE.

Perpendicular English Doors.

An impression from an engraving of a perpendicular door having been given on the cover of each number of this work, our readers must, by this time, be well acquainted with it. A copy is annexed, for the purpose of permanent reference, with the other plates. It has been drawn to convey as distinct an idea as possible of the character of the generality of these doors, the great distinction of which, from those of the last style, is the almost constant square head over the arch, which is surrounded by the outer moulding of the architrave, and the spandrell filled with some ornament, and over all a dripstone is generally placed. This ornamented spandrell in a square head, occurs in the porch to Westminster Hall, one of the earliest perpendicular buildings, and is continued to the latest period of good execution, and in a rough way much later. In large, very rich doors, a canopy is sometimes included in this square head, and sometimes niches are added at the sides, as at King's college chapel, Cambridge. This square head is not always used interiorly, for an ogee canopy is sometimes used, or pannels down to the arch, as at St. George's, Windsor; and there may be some small exterior side doors, without the square head, but they are not common. The shafts used in these doors, are small, and have plain capitals, which are often octagonal, and the bases made so below the first astragal. It is also very common for the architrave to consist of ogee mouldings, as well as the rounds and hollows which have been before used.

Perpendicular English Windows.

These are easily distinguished by their mullions running in perpendicular lines, and the transoms, which are now general. The varieties of the last style were in the disposition of the principal lines of the tracery; in this, they are rather in the disposition of the minute parts, a window of four or more lights is generally divided into two or three parts by stronger mullions running quite up, and the portion of arch between them doubled from the centre of the side division. In large windows, the centre one is again sometimes made an arch, and often in windows of seven or nine lights, the arches spring across, making two of four or five lights, and the centre belonging to each. The heads of windows, instead of being filled with flowing ramifications, have slender mullions running from the heads of the lights, between each principal mullion, and these 7. VOL. I. X