#The Choir Screen#, a solid structure of stone we know to be the work of Prior de Estria, _i.e._, of Eastry in Kent, who was elected in 1285, and died in 1331. According to the Obituary record, he "fairly decorated the choir of the church with most beautiful stone-work cunningly carved." In his Register there is an entry which evidently refers to the same work: "Anno 1304-5. Reparation of the whole choir with three new doors and a new screen (_pulpito_)." The three doors referred to are the north and south entrances and the western one. It has already been pointed out that the present western screen is a later addition. Professor Willis, whose great work on the Architectural History of Canterbury Cathedral should be studied by all who wish to examine the details of the building more closely than is allowed by the scope of this work, describes De Estria's screen as follows: "The lateral portions of this wall of enclosure are in excellent order. In the western part of the choir, namely, between the eastern transepts and the organ-screen, this wall is built so that its inner face nearly ranges with the inner faces of the pillars; but eastward of the transepts it is built between the pillars. The north doorway remains perfect. The present south doorway, which is in a much later style, is manifestly a subsequent insertion. This enclosure consists of a solid wall, seven feet nine inches in height from the pavement of the side-aisles. It has a stone-bench towards the side-aisles, and above that a base, of the age of William of Sens; so that it is clear that the work of De Estria belongs to the upper part only of the enclosure, which consists of delicate and elaborately worked tracery, surmounted by an embattled crest.... The entire work is particularly valuable on account of its well-established date, combined with its great beauty and singularity." A portion of the choir-pavement, lying between the two transepts, is interesting as being undoubtedly part of the original flooring of Conrad's choir, and probably the only fragment of it that was left undisturbed after the great fire which destroyed "that glorious choir which had been so magnificently completed by the care and industry of Prior Conrad." This part of the pavement consists of large slabs of a peculiar "stone, or veined marble of a delicate brown colour. When parts of this are taken up for repair or alteration, it is usual to find lead which has run between the joints of the slabs and spread on each side below, and which is with great reason supposed to be the effect of the fire of 1174, which melted the lead of the roof, and caused it to run down between the paving stones in this manner." It is said that when the choir was filled with pews in 1706, and it was necessary to remove part of the pavement, the men engaged on the work picked up enough of this lead to make two large gluepots. [Illustration: A MISERERE IN THE CHOIR.]