Bell's Cathedrals: The Cathedral Church of Salisbury: A Description of its Fabric and a Brief History of the See of SarumWhite, Gleeson
History
Bell's Cathedrals: The Cathedral Church of Salisbury: A Description of its Fabric and a Brief History of the See of Sarum
White, Gleeson
Salisbury Cathedral
apparently built up windows above the genuine windows of the nave
aisles, whose roofs have their apex about on a level with the sills of
the large central lancets, are as much frauds as any of those sham
windows in symmetrical Renaissance work, which so excite the ire of
ardent champions of Gothic purity.
It consists of five bays, of which the lateral ones are square
turrets, covered with arcades, and terminated by spires. The lower
story of the central bay is composed of three pedimented porches
deeply recessed, each with a niche in its gable. Above these is a
story of canopied trefoiled arches, with quatrefoil lozenges in
their centres. Over this arcade is the large west window, a triplet of
lancets with slender shafts and chevron ornament. Above this again is
a band of quatrefoils at the foot of the gable, which is filled with
double couplets of lancets with quatrefoils above their heads; and in
the upper spandrils is a quatrefoiled aureole. The buttresses flanking
this central bay have similar arcading continued around them. The side
bays each have a triple porch, a two-lighted window with a quatrefoil
in the head, with a window of the same form above it, and higher still
the arcading continued from the towers.
[Illustration: PORTALS OF THE WEST FRONT.
_From a Photograph by S.B. Bolas and Co._]
In 1863 the hundred and odd niches designed to contain statues were
either despoiled or had never been occupied, with the exception of
eight which held figures mutilated beyond certain recognition. Mr.
Cockerell conjectured that two on the buttress of the south tower
represented St. Peter and St. John the Baptist, on that to the north
St. Paul and St. John the Evangelist, while a figure facing north on
the same buttress he believed to represent Stephen Langton, Archbishop
of Canterbury. Other figures are supposed to commemorate Bishop Poore,
William Longespee, 1st Earl of Salisbury, St. Stephen, and Bishop
Giles de Bridport.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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