Bell's Cathedrals: The Church of St. Martin, Canterbury: An Illustrated Account of its History and FabricRoutledge, C. F. (Charles Francis)
History
Bell's Cathedrals: The Church of St. Martin, Canterbury: An Illustrated Account of its History and Fabric
Routledge, C. F. (Charles Francis)
St. Martin's Church (Canterbury, England)
We have already described the square-headed doorway, but may add that
(during the present spring) the lepers' window has been traced inwards
to a depth of 1 ft. 8 in. from the exterior of the wall. From this
_square-headed_ doorway the _semi-circular_ one (commented on in our
description of the exterior of the church) is 4 ft. 2 in. distant. Beyond
this the early brick wall extends eastward for 6 ft. 9 in. till we
reach a break in it, which was clearly the termination of the original
chancel. For the last two feet the work is somewhat irregular, and from
this circumstance, and from some evidence discovered at this spot on
the outside, it has been conjectured that here we have the beginning of
a Roman apse (_cf._ Appendix C). Eastward of this break, the walling
is of different workmanship, showing with the mortar-joints six bricks
to a foot, and after 3 ft. 5 in. we come to a =Sedile=, which was blocked
up with mediæval brickwork, and opened out a short time ago. It had
apparently a slightly pointed arch, of which about five inches have been
cut away. The springing line is about 2 ft. 9-½ in. above the seat;
the radii are about 3 ft. 9 in., their centres being on the springing
line. This would fix its measurements as follows:--Span, 5 ft.; depth,
about 1 ft. 3 in.; height from seat to springing line, 2 ft. 9-½; in.;
and from seat to apex, about 6 ft. 4 in. A difficulty has arisen as to the
date of the sedile from the fact that the top of it has been cut away by
the insertion of a lancet window, appearing at first sight to belong to
the Early English period, so that the sedile would seem as if it must
be of an earlier date than the window. But Mr Livett, though believing
it not impossible that the sedile and lancet window were built at the
same time, and the sill of the window altered afterwards, thinks it more
probable that the sedile and its adjoining brickwork were built late
in the twelfth century, and the lancet window inserted subsequently,
perhaps in the fourteenth century. The position of the sedile would
seem to point out that the high altar stood, in Early English times,
immediately east of the step whereon the present altar rails are placed.
The east wall of the church was partially pulled down and rebuilt about
fifty years ago, to which period we owe the pseudo-Norman work of the
reredos. The lancet windows were filled at that time with an ill-drawn
representation of the Crucifixion in the centre, and on each side with
the Ten Commandments, which were slowly fading away.
Inside the altar rails is an =aumbry=, 15 by 14 inches, with a wooden door
of "linen pattern," dating probably from the time of Henry VII. The recess
inside the door extends to a depth of 18 inches, and is still in use.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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