_The Arches_ do not differ materially in general effect from the Early English ones; they are not so acute, but are distinguished by the mouldings and caps as described above. In some cases the mouldings are continued down the pier without the intervention of a capital, forming a completely moulded opening. _Arcades_ or series of arches, were used in richly decorated buildings to ornament the walls. The _sedilia_ or seats on the south side of the choir, near the altar, for the officiating clergy, were usually decorated in this form. (Pl. 41, Fig. 6.) _Groined roofs_ or vaults of this style are distinguished from those of the preceding style, chiefly by the introduction of numerous extra or intermediate ribs and groins and by the natural foliage richly carved on the base. Stone groining is imitated in cases where it would not be safe to place the weight of a stone roof on the walls. Timber roofs of this period are comparatively rare, but those of domestic halls appear to have been more enriched than those of churches. It should be noted that what are called “timber roofs” are frequently inner roofs or ceilings, built for ornament only, with a plain, substantial roof over them, as at Sparsholt, Berks. (Pl. 40, Fig. 6.) _Gargoyles_, or grotesque waterspouts in the shape of monsters, are a noticeable feature, and are for the purpose of throwing the rainwater clear of the walls and buttresses. _The Buttresses_ in this period received great attention. They were proportioned with distinct regard to their function. They are found in a great variety of form and of degrees of richness, but they are almost invariably worked in stages and are often ornamented with niches with crocketed canopies originally containing images, and they often terminate in pinnacles. (Pl. 41, Fig. 5.) The _Clear-story_ and the _Triforium_.--In large churches and cathedrals the upper portion of the nave is lighted by a row of windows called the Clear-story or the Clere-story. Below these, in the unlighted space under the roof of the aisle, is a row of unlighted arches called the Triforium or Blind-story. The decoration of these was, of course, similar to that employed in the other windows and arches of this period. [Illustration: PLATE 40.