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
built on the site of the old walls, and show that the choir consisted of
five bays, with an apse. The total interior length from the east wall of
the apse to the tower is about 102 feet. It may be mentioned that the
total internal length of the existing church from the west end of the
nave to the apse is about 234 feet.
The crypt was approached by two stairs, one from the north and another
from the south aisle of the choir. These are now swept away, and only
their round arched openings remain as recesses in the walls of the
crypt. As these recesses are at a considerable height, most of the steps
were probably in the crypt. The stairs shown on the Plan with the
windows and doors are all quite modern. The latter lead out to the
street, which is at the level of the floor.
The length of the crypt (which corresponds with the width of the choir)
is about 65 feet. The crypt consists of one central and two side aisles,
with an eastern apse. The plan of these divisions indicates that the
central aisle of the choir was only about 3 feet wider than the side
aisles, a very unusual arrangement, the side aisles being generally much
narrower than the central one. The width of the crypt is about 16 feet,
and the length at the apse is about 36 feet 6 inches. It is internally a
very picturesque and interesting structure, but it has been badly
treated at the time of the rebuilding of the choir. The wonder is that
it escaped from being rebuilt, like the rest of the church. It is at
present proposed to restore the building by removing the lath and
plaster from the walls, and laying the floor at the original level, and
also to fill the windows with stained glass. We may express the hope
that before this is done the distressing effects of the stained glass in
the crypt of Glasgow Cathedral will be duly considered.
[Illustration: FIG. 388.--St. Nicholas’ Church. Details of Piers of
Crossing.]
The roof is groined throughout, the three compartments in the length
(Fig. 392) being separated by pointed arches, which spring from moulded
caps on octagonal responds. The ribs are the same in all the
compartments, except that in the centre and north a length of the ridge
rib is omitted (see Plan). The opening into the apse has a stunted
[Illustration: FIG. 389.--St. Nicholas’ Church. North Transept.]
round arch (Fig. 393), and is a prominent example of the love of the
Scottish builders for this form of arch all through the Gothic period.
This is the only place in the crypt where the width is sufficient to
allow
[Illustration: FIG. 390.--St. Nicholas’ Church. Clerestory Window.]
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account