Itinerarium curiosum (centuria I) : $b or, an account of the antiquities, and remarkable curiosities in nature or art, observed in travels through Great BritainStukeley, William
History
Itinerarium curiosum (centuria I) : $b or, an account of the antiquities, and remarkable curiosities in nature or art, observed in travels through Great Britain
Stukeley, William
Great Britain -- Antiquities -- Early works to 1800; Great Britain -- Description and travel -- Early works to 1800
In the 47th plate we have shown the ground-plot upon which it is
formed, and a section of the work; whence we may readily observe that
the design is simple, but admirably contrived for its use and purpose:
the base is octagonal without, within a square; but the sides of the
square and octagon are equal, viz. fifteen Roman feet, which reduces
the wall to the thickness of ten feet. In this manner it was carried
up to the top, which was much higher than at present; but it retires
inward continually from all sides, with much the same proportion as an
Egyptian _obelus_. Upon four of these sides there are windows narrow,
handsomely turned with a semi-circular arch of Roman brick six foot
high, so that the outside of it appears as in our 46th plate. The
door to it is on the east side, about six foot wide, very well turned
over head, with an arch made of a course of Roman brick and stone
alternately, fourteen foot high. All the stones of this work are of
a narrow scantling; and the manner of the composure, throughout, is
perfectly the same with that lately described at Richborough castle:
there are first two courses of this brick, which is level with the
bottom of the windows; then seven courses of hewn stone, which mount up
to the top of the windows; then two courses of brick, seven of stone
alternately, to the top; every window by this means reaching to a stage
or story. There are five of these stages left: the windows are visible
enough to a discerning eye, though some be stopt up, others covered
over, others have modern church-like windows of stone put in. I suppose
the inside was intirely filled up with a stair-case: the height of what
is left is forty foot; I believe there was twenty foot more originally;
and the whole number of windows on a side was eight. This building was
made use of as a steeple, and had a pleasant ring of bells in it, which
Sir George Rook procured to be carried away to Portsmouth. Since then
the office of the ordnance, under pretext of savingness, have taken
away the lead that covered it, and left this rare piece of art and
masonry to struggle with the sea, air and weather. Mr. Degg gave me
a coin of Dioclesian, found here. The Erpinghams arms are patched up
against one side of the _Pharos_, being two bars and a canton; so that
I suppose it was repaired in Henry the Fifth’s time, lord Erpingham
then warden of Dover castle. In the Roman castle here the Tungrican
soldiers had their station. I have heard there is another such _Pharos_
at St. Andrew’s in Scotland.[121]
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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