The castles and abbeys of England; Vol. 1 of 2: from the national records, early chronicles, and other standard authorsBeattie, William
History
The castles and abbeys of England; Vol. 1 of 2: from the national records, early chronicles, and other standard authors
Beattie, William
Abbeys -- England; Castles -- England
A very elegant pointed arch, now forming the entrance from the tower to
the interior of the church, of which we have given a representation on a
preceding page, appears to be of the reign of Henry III.; the defects
observed in the upper part of its ornaments were caused by some
barbarous hand, which cut away part of the sculptured stone, in order to
introduce a new erection, with which the workman appears to have
proceeded no farther. The <g>Principal Entrance</g>, which is also an elegant
sharply-pointed arch, is supposed to date from the reign of Edward III.
At the south-east extremity of the present building is a chapel, which
bears evident marks of the age of the Tudors, although much defaced and
altered. Nearly the whole of the church itself, with the exception of
the modern alterations which it has undergone, is the erection of King
Harold, and formed perhaps the principal part of the church as he left
it. The interior, which in modern times has been miserably disfigured by
thick coats of plaster and whitewash, possesses still an appearance of
solemn grandeur, although its groined roof has been taken down, and its
place supplied by a lower flat ceiling. The close resemblance between
this interior and the interior of the nave of Durham Cathedral (built a
few years after the Conquest) has frequently been noticed. The body of
the nave is separated from the side aisles by two rows of large and
massive cylindrical pillars, ornamented with spiral and zig-zag grooves,
like the similar pillars in the nave at Durham. These pillars support
large circular arches, with zig-zag mouldings. Above these on each side
is a second row of large arches, supported by short columns; and above
these is a third series of treble arches, each consisting of one large
arch, with a smaller one on each side. These latter front the principal
windows by which the interior of the church is lighted. In the second or
middle tier of arches there were once central columns, with arched
mouldings, dividing each of the large arches into two. Between each
series of arches a three-quarter pilaster moulding rises to the ceiling,
and appears formerly to have sustained the groined roof. Two of the
circular arches of the lower row have been altered, probably at the time
[Illustration]
when the present steeple was erected, to pointed arches, and carried up
to the string course of the clerestory. The only remnant of the
furniture and utensils of this old church is its ancient <g>Font</g>. The east
end of the nave has been railed in to form a chancel. The whole length
of the nave is a hundred and six feet; and its breadth fifty-three feet,
including the aisles. The interior height is at present forty-six feet.
The most interesting monument in Waltham Abbey Church is that of Sir
Edward Denny and his lady, which is situated near the eastern extremity
of the south aisle. Near the altar rails is a defaced grey slab, which
once bore a mitred figure, probably one of the abbots.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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