Bell's Cathedrals: The Abbey Church of Tewkesbury: with some Account of the Priory Church of Deerhurst GloucestershireMassé, H. J. L. J. (Henri Jean Louis Joseph)
History
Bell's Cathedrals: The Abbey Church of Tewkesbury: with some Account of the Priory Church of Deerhurst Gloucestershire
Mr. Micklethwaite in his Paper on Saxon Churches (_Arch. Journ._ vol.
lxiii.) refers to Deerhurst specially, and his remarks are, by his
permission, here quoted, with one or two slight verbal alterations:
"The Plan shows that in its last Saxon form it was a two-towered
church of like plan to the church at Dover, on the Castle Hill. The
central tower has gone, but the western one remains, and is a very
remarkable building. The plan of the church shows the side walls of
the nave black as still existing, which in fact they do, but only the
upper parts of them. They are carried by arcades of thirteenth century
work. These may take the place of earlier ones, and the church may
have had aisles at its first building. If it had, I suspect that it
lost them as Brixworth did, and was without when the east part of the
church was put into the form shown on the plan. That seems to have
been about the beginning of the eleventh century, but it is certain
that there is earlier work in the west end and in the tower, and
probable that there also is in the side walls of the nave. The
presbytery was round-ended and wide-arched, as at Worth, and there is
an arch in the east wall of the south transept leading to an altar
place beyond. In the corresponding position on the other side (_i.e._,
in the north transept) is a doorway which has led to some chamber
outside.
"The openings from the tower to the transepts on the floor lines are
very small doorways, but there is an arch higher up on each side which
looks as if it might have opened from an upper floor or gallery.[31]
[Illustration: PLAN OF DEERHURST PRIORY CHURCH BEFORE THE
CONQUEST.
_By J.T. Micklethwaite, F.S.A., from "The Archæological
Journal."_]
"To the end of the Saxon time it was usual to make living-rooms in the
towers and roofs of the churches, but the evidence of it is clearest
in the fore-buildings of the early monastic churches. That at
Deerhurst gives more points than are found together in any other
single monument, but the parallels of all, except the division of the
two lower stories of the tower, may be found elsewhere, and nearly all
at Wearmouth and Brixworth.
"Here is a section of the tower of Deerhurst looking north, with later
mediæval work left out, and indications given of missing parts, of
which those that remain supply the evidence.
[Illustration: THE TOWER.
_From "The Archæological Journal."_]
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