The ground-floor formed an open hall, 20 feet in width, the vaulting of which was carried on slender cylindrical columns, joined by irregular arcades. The building comprises two stories, the first of which communicated with that of the Cloth Hall. The large high windows of the façades were very close together. The roof was pierced with high and very ornamental dormer-windows. The Nieuwerk was restored about 1862. In the Chapelle Echevinale, frescoes by Guffens and J. Swerts, and stained-glass was renovated, and at the same time a fine fireplace was built by Malfait of Brussels. Old mural paintings, representing St. Mark and St. John, and a frieze, depicting the Counts of Flanders from 1322 to 1476, were discovered and restored. In the middle of the hall stood a small equestrian statue of John of Brabant (1252--1294) by A. Fiers. This slightly-built Nieuwerk could not long withstand the bombardment. The south gable, struck on November 21, 1914, collapsed, while on the following day the Cloth Hall burst into flames. A few weeks' later the Nieuwerk was completely destroyed. [Illustration: THE SHERIFF'S ROOM IN THE NIEUWERK, DECEMBER, 1914 _The collapse of the first floor left visible the remains of the decoration seen in the photo below (photo, Antony, Ypres)._] [Illustration: THE SHERIFF'S ROOM IN THE NIEUWERK, BEFORE THE WAR (_photo, Antony, Ypres_)] [Illustration: OLD HOUSES WHICH, BEFORE THE WAR, WERE THE PRIDE OF THE VANDENPEEREBOOM SQUARE (_photo, Antony, Ypres_)] _Turn to the right in the Place Vandenpeereboom_, formerly an ornamental pond, now filled in. Here used to stand a row of old houses with double façade, now completely destroyed. Here also, to the north of the Cloth Hall, stood the Cathedral of St. Martin. [Illustration: ST. MARTIN'S CATHEDRAL] [Illustration: ST. MARTIN'S CATHEDRAL AS IT WAS _In the background: the Cloth Hall. Compare with photo below (photo, Antony, Ypres)._] =The Cathedral of St. Martin= The Church of St. Martin (which became a cathedral in 1559) replaced an older church of the 11th century. Built in the 13th century, its choir dated from 1221, and its nave from the second half of that century. The foundation-stone was laid by Marguerite of Constantinople. The western tower dated only from the 15th century, and replaced a tower which had collapsed in 1433. The new tower was 175 feet in height, and was to have been twice as high. Built from the plans of Martin Untenhove of Malines, it was severe in style. The plan of the Cathedral was a Latin cross, and terminated in a semicircular choir. It underwent important restorations during the last century. The façade of the south arm of the transept was of unusually great width. [Illustration: ST. MARTIN'S CATHEDRAL, AS THE GERMAN SHELLS LEFT IT _In the background: The Cloth Hall._] [Illustration: SOUTH TRANSEPT OF THE CATHEDRAL, BEFORE THE WAR (_photo, Antony, Ypres_)]