The ecclesiastical architecture of Scotland from the earliest Christian times to the seventeenth century; vol. 1/3MacGibbon, David
History
The ecclesiastical architecture of Scotland from the earliest Christian times to the seventeenth century; vol. 1/3
MacGibbon, David
Church architecture -- Scotland
There is, on the ground level of the tower, a narrow doorway in the
south side, and a wide archway into the church through the east wall.
There is also a wide archway in the west wall, opening into what has
been a nave, added at a later date; but this opening appears to have
been cut through at a late period.
The south doorway (Fig. 146) is 2 feet 4 inches wide by about 8 feet
high. The soffit of the arch is cut out of single stones. The style of
masonry used in the construction of the doorway is peculiar. The
thickness of the wall is made up of three courses, the two outer ones
being large slabs set on edge, and the interior course being built with
smaller stones from a different quarry. The latter are of red and the
former of grey sandstone. The outer and inner stones forming the lintel
are hollowed out with a semi-circular arch opening. Round the exterior
of the doorway there is a raised margin, about eight inches in breadth,
with small projection, similar to the margin of the door at Abernethy.
Except this ancient feature, there is no other attempt at decoration.
The arch in the east wall (Fig. 147) is 8 feet 4 inches wide, and is
stated by Mr. Galloway[139] to have been 15 feet 8 inches high from the
original floor level to the soffit. The space comprised within the
tower
[Illustration: FIG. 145.--Restennet Priory. Plan.]
was by this archway included in the original church, which opened into
it exactly like the archway of the tower at Dunning Church (_q.v._),
compared with which, however, this opening has a very archaic
appearance.
[Illustration: FIG. 146.--Restennet Priory. South Doorway of Tower.]
There are no floors in the tower, and no stair or means of access to the
upper story, and the tower stands open from the ground to the apex of
the spire.
Above the arches just described, the tower contains two stories (Fig.
148). In the first story there is a small opening on the east side,
about 1 foot 8 inches wide and 4 feet 8 inches high, contained within
the space of the choir roof; and on the south side there is another
opening, about half this size. A small round opening, a few inches wide,
in the west wall (Fig. 149) completes the lights on this story. The
highest story, which is separated from the one below by a string course,
contains an opening with a straight-sided arch on each face, and each of
these openings has an external back-set fillet or margin.
How the tower was originally finished it is now impossible to say; but
the string course above the second story is the present termination of
the original work. The tower has a decided taper of about two feet in
the height.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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