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
[Illustration: FIG. 204.--Dunfermline Abbey. Part of North Side.]
[Illustration: FIG. 205.--Dunfermline Abbey. Western Doorway.]
windows. It also shows the original aisle windows on the inside, while
Fig. 213 shows their appearance on the exterior. It will be observed in
the latter that there is the same sunk or label ornament on the
drip-stone as there is over the arches of the main arcade. Above the
aisle window (see the same Fig.) are the lights of the triforium
gallery. These have triangular heads, formed by two stones. They appear
to have been rounded or moulded on the edge, and spring from sunk shafts
having carved capitals. They are now very much decayed, and have all
been restored except two on the north side.
Judging from the existence of the large west end pillars already
referred to, it was evidently intended from the beginning to have two
western towers. The northern one
[Illustration: FIG. 206.--Dunfermline Abbey. From North Side of Western
Doorway.]
was destroyed to a considerable extent at the Reformation,[161] along
with the upper part of the adjoining gable. In its present state it was
designed and built by William Schaw, and is a very effective example of
the architecture of his time (see Figs. 202 and 204). The bold
corbelling at the top of the tower recalls the somewhat similar
treatment of the towers of St. Machar’s, Aberdeen, and other examples
derived from domestic architecture. The south-west tower appears to have
escaped the fury of the Reformers, and to have remained intact, although
in a ruinous state, till 1807, when it fell, having been struck by
lightning. Three years later the present top was put on the old walls.
The Lady Chapel at the east end, built to receive Queen Margaret’s
shrine, is now reduced to a small fragment (see Plan), consisting of
part of the south and east walls, which remain to the height of about 2
or 3 feet. It has been a small structure of about 26 feet 9 inches by 22
feet, of delicate and refined first pointed work, as is apparent from
the bases of the wall arcading and the edge of the surrounding seat,
enriched with nail-head ornaments, which still exist (Fig. 214). The
Lady Chapel appears from an old view[162] to have been a low structure,
reaching only to the sill of the great east window of the choir, and it
was evidently vaulted in two compartments.
Of the choir of the thirteenth century (shown on the Ground Plan, see
Fig. 198) not a single stone exists, having been removed to make room
for a modern church; but before the latter was built (begun in 1818),
considerable remains of the choir and apparently the whole of the
foundations were standing. These ruins were measured and drawn by Mr.
J. Baine, C.E., Edinburgh, in 1790, and by the Rev. Mr. Syme in 1805.
From their
[Illustration: FIG. 207.--Dunfermline Abbey. Northern Doorway.]
labours the author of the _Annals_ (Mr. E. Henderson) made a complete
plan of the church in 1827, and from it the ground plan of the choir now
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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