St. Bartholomew’s Church, Smithfield, is a good specimen of Norman work. It was the church of the Augustinian Priory, founded 1123 A.D. by Rahere, the King’s minstrel. The rich doorways of this period form one of the most important features of Later Norman work. They are considered to be the most beautiful and characteristic specimens which remain to us, and the most elaborate workmanship was bestowed upon them by the Normans. They are generally round-headed and very deeply recessed, and frequently have several small shafts at the sides of the doorway. The tympanum or semi-circular space above the door within the arch is frequently filled with rich sculpture (Pl. 21, Fig. 2). The mouldings are richly overlaid with ornament, which, though of a peculiar and rude character, produces great richness of effect. The west door of Rochester Cathedral is a very striking instance of this. The windows are, in general, long and rather narrow, round-headed openings. Many of them were ornamented very richly in the same manner as the doors with zigzag and other mouldings. [Illustration: PLATE 21. (Fig. 1): Very rich Norman sculpture from Shobdon Church, Herefordshire, about 1180 A.D. (Fig. 2): South door, Kilpeck Church, Herefordshire, showing the richly ornamented arch, the decorated tympanum, and richly sculptured pillars at the sides. (Figs. 3 and 4): Ornamented capitals from York Minster. (Fig. 5): Ornamented capitals from St. John’s Abbey, Chester. (Fig. 6): Capital preserved in the Chapter House of Westminster Abbey, carved with the story of the Judgment of Solomon. (Fig. 7): Pointed arch with pure Norman mouldings and scalloped capitals from Malmesbury Abbey, Wiltshire, 1135-1139 A.D. It is generally assumed that _all_ Norman arches are round, but the pointed arch, taken by itself, is no proof of change of style. The semi-circular arch is the characteristic form of the Norman arch, but there are a few Early examples in which the pointed arch is used, supported by massive piers. (Figs. 8 and 9): Bases of Norman columns.] NORMAN CASTLES. When Duke William of Normandy invaded England in 1066, the existing type of fortification called a _burh_ was a moated hillock, either wholly or partly artificial, surmounted by a timber stockade enclosing a wooden house or tower. He repaired and enlarged many of the existing strongholds, and also built many new wooden castles. But in order to overawe the conquered English he erected in the larger towns square stone keeps or castles, like the White Tower in the Tower of London. Gundulph, Bishop of Rochester, the great architect in the reign of William I., built the latter in 1081 A.D. It is one of the best examples that we have of Early Norman work, and is a huge quadrangular structure more than 100 ft. square, built of rudely coursed rubble, with a vast amount of mortar.