“The west front, usually regarded as the latest work of Bishop Grandisson, who died in 1369, is of very high interest; and although it cannot compete with those of Wells or Lincoln (both of earlier date), may justly claim great beauty as an architectural composition. It recedes in three stories, the lowest of which is formed by the sculptured screen; the second contains the great west window, on each side of which is a graduated arcade; and in the third, or gable, is a triangular window surmounted by a niche, containing a figure of St. Peter, the patron saint of the cathedral. The SCREEN deserves the most careful examination. It is pierced by three doorways, and surrounded by a series of niches, in which are the statues of kings, warriors, saints and apostles, guardians, as it were, of the entrance to the sanctuary. These figures are arranged in three rows. From pedestals crowned with battlements spring angels, each of whom supports a triple pilaster, with capitals. The statues on these capitals, forming the second row, are for the most part those of kings and knights; above the canopies which surmount them appears the third row, chiefly saints and apostles. The positions of the angels are admirably varied. “The two statues with shields of arms in niches above the upper row are certainly those of Athelstan and Edward the Confessor, the Saxon king who expelled the Britons from Exeter, and the founder of the existing bishopric. In all these figures the general arrangement of the hair as well as the fashion of the crowns and of the armour, are those of the reign of Edward III., in which the work was probably completed. “The platform above the screen no doubt served, as in many foreign cathedrals, as a station from which the church minstrels and choristers might duly welcome distinguished persons on their arrival; and from which the bishop might bestow his benediction on the people. The three doorways are much enriched. Round that in the centre, within the porch, is a moulding of carved foliage which deserves notice. On the central boss of the groining is a representation of the Crucifixion. The recess within the south doorway contains two sculptures, The Appearance of the Angel to Joseph in a Dream and The Adoration of the Shepherds. Both, like the figures on the screen, have suffered not a little from time, and the assaults of Cromwell’s Puritans.”--(R. J. K.) Exeter is distinguished among English cathedrals in not having a central tower. This gives the exterior a unique appearance and the interior gains by the absence of tower piers to block the view. Exeter has, therefore, the most open and impressive vista of any English cathedral. The screen being low, the whole design is immediately comprehended. It has been compared to the Cathedral of Bourges.