In front of the altar is a tessellated pavement 11 feet long and nearly 4 feet wide. It is chiefly composed of red and blackish _tesserae_; but in the centre is a circular medallion containing a large four-petalled white flower with a red centre and small red flowers between the petals, all upon a ground of black. It has been supposed that this pavement was taken from the neighbouring remains of some Roman building. As regards the central medallion this is probably the case, but the rest of the pavement seems to be later work, perhaps of the thirteenth century.[129] At the south end of the pavement is the slab of another and smaller altar, retaining three of its incised crosses. It appears from a document of 1306 that the chapel at that date contained certain 'relics' of St. Mary Magdalene. Of the mediaeval bridges of Ripon =The North Bridge= alone survives.[130] It crosses the Ure on nine arches with bold buttresses, triangular in plan, between them, and is prolonged, with three smaller arches, over the low meadow which forms the southern shore. It is from this shore that the best view of it is to be obtained, a few yards down stream. The arches, some of them recessed, vary in height and span, but all are round save two, over one of which there is a corbel-table below the parapet. The other side of the bridge was remodelled some twenty years ago. FOOTNOTES: [122] In the mediaeval records the street is almost invariably called Annesgate, and indeed was probably named after the hospital. The form 'Agnesgate' is, however, not modern, for it occurs in 1462. It may have arisen from a trisyllabic pronunciation of 'Annesgate.' [123] Thus far I am largely indebted to a paper on this hospital by the Rev. W. C. Lukis, F.S.A. in the twelfth edition of Walbran's _Ripon_. [124] Possibly those of Boynton or Plumpton (_Parker_). [125] The house is not shown. [126] This latter peculiarity is found also in a house at Bishopton, a mile off. [127] Some archaeologists, however, hold that the purpose of low side windows was to display a light to scare away demons. [128] It is probable that in the interior of many of our old churches the surface of the stone was never meant to be seen, and was covered with plaster at the time of building. The plaster was doubtless often adorned with designs in colour. [129] This view is held by Mr. Micklethwaite. The white _tesserae_ in the medallion resemble some which were dug up in 1837 on the site assigned by Leland to the 'Old Abbay of Ripon' and which have been adduced to support the view that Wilfrid's Abbey Church stood on that site and not on the site of the present Cathedral (see p. 77 and n. 4 there).