Page:Archaeological Journal, Volume 1.djvu/332

314 the materials procured from the ruins of pre-existing Roman buildings; they did not however work up the materials of stone and brick in the same regular and systematic mode as the Romans, but though they formed some of their arches with brick-work, they seem to have inserted bricks in the walls just as they may have come to hand, irregularly and without rule or order. This is particularly observable in the construction of the masonry of Brixworth church, Northamptonshire, supposed to be an Anglo-Saxon edifice of the seventh century. This church stands in a district abounding with stone, which is found on the spot in such quantities, that the greater part of the houses in the village are built of it, yet here we have numerous semicircular-headed arches, of a single soffit, constructed of Roman brick, and springing from massive square piers: those on the north side of the nave, the north aisle having been destroyed, are blocked up, but the facing shews the arches to have been constructed of a double row of Roman bricks. The mixed masonry of brick and stone, the latter rag, of which the walls of this church are partly composed, exhibits, not the regular disposition of bricks in courses, as in Roman work, but brick irregularly intermingled with rag. This church is perhaps the most ancient existing in this country; it has apparent marks of having had additions and alterations made to it at a very early period, and the arches constructed of brick are very numerous. It displays however no features of either Roman or Norman work, but the rude baluster shafts, one of the features of presumed Anglo-Saxon work, are found in a triple window in the tower, and in some recent excavations, when the foundation wail on the north side of the chancel was exposed, the same kind of rude square-edged string-course, found in other presumed Anglo-Saxon work, was disclosed to view. Roman remains have been discovered at this place, and the ruins of some Roman building must have supplied the materials of brick with which the arches are constructed, and which also appear, but irregularly disposed, in the walls. It ought not to escape notice that the masonry in this church has been fully brought to light by the judicious removal of the plaster which formerly concealed it. It is to be wished that the same interest was taken with the walls of St. Martin's church, Canterbury.

Whether the old church now in ruins within the precincts of the castle of Dover, and close to the Pharos, be in any part