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
The three-arched openings above described are all of about the same
dimensions, and as the two eastern ones cannot be called doorways, so
neither can the western one be considered as merely the entrance doorway
to the church, but would rather appear to be the arched opening from the
nave into the tower and chancel. When we consider that this church was
once a cathedral, as well as the church of a monastery, and also,
perhaps, served the purpose of a parish church, it seems probable that
it must have been a larger building than the simple oblong chamber to
the east of the tower which now survives. Considerable discussion has
taken place with reference to the probable arrangement of the plan. Some
have supposed that the church consisted of the simple oblong chamber
which still exists, with an eastern apse and western tower; while others
maintain that the existing oblong was the choir, that there was a
western nave, and that the tower was central. Sir G. Gilbert Scott
points out that in the latter case St. Regulus’ would be parallel to
Jarrow Church, while in the former case the church may have had a lofty
western porch, as had those of Wearmouth and Barton-upon-Humber. Sir
Gilbert, however, thinks that the large size of the western arch, and
the mark of
[Illustration: FIG. 158.--St. Regulus. Belfry Window.]
the roof on the tower, suggest a nave.[146] The seals of the church,
dated 1204 and 1214, which are preserved at Durham, show a nave and
chancel.
The chancel is lighted by four windows, two on each side, placed at
about 14 feet above the ground. (See Fig. 155.) They are round headed,
the circles being cut out of a single stone on the outside, but arched
on the inside. The openings are 6 feet 6 inches high and 1 foot 10
inches wide, and have broad splays internally.
The building has a cornice at the wall-head, containing a series of
simple corbels. A string course runs round the tower below the top
story, and above it there is a belfry window on each face, about 3 feet
wide by 8 feet 9 inches high. Each window is divided into two openings
by a rounded centre shaft (Fig. 158), and there were round nook shafts
at each side, but these have now fallen away. There are a few small
openings on each face at different stages. The tower is crowned with a
cornice, having two rows of simple corbels similar to those of the
chancel cornice. On the east side there is an opening into the space
which was covered by the chancel roof. The floors of the tower have been
of timber, and there is one set-off in the inside of about 6 inches, at
a height of about 64 feet. There was no access stair. At the north-west
corner of the chancel, and at the wall-head level, there are two caps
which have a very distinct appearance of being of first pointed date.
NORMAN ARCHITECTURE.
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