Page:Archaeological Journal, Volume 2.djvu/29

Rh repaired, no doubt the general aspect would be improved. The same applies to the wood-work of the interior. Some of the poppy-heads that have slightly suffered from decay, might be preserved in their present state, others might be restored, and the barbarous work with which a few of them have been repaired, I suppose during the last or preceding century, might be replaced with work of a better character. The repair of the rood-screen would require a careful and able artist, but in this it would be desirable to remove none of the present work that can possibly be kept in its place. In the nave several unsightly pews rise above the level of the original seats, and might be removed with great advantage to the appearance of the building. The original disposition of the seats does not seem to have been much disturbed except in one or two instances, and could easily be retained, as a very economical disposition of the space seems by no means required for the wants of the parish. The monuments admit of some repair, there being several fractures, especially in the most beautiful one. No. 12. An account of this will be given in a future number. Some stoves, too, that are now in the body of the church, by no means conduce to its beauty; and I would further suggest, that if the Golden Chapel must be used as a pew, some tapestry of the date or character of the sixteenth century, if any could be procured of an appropriate description, might advantageously replace the present linings and curtains of cloth, and some good cinque cento painted glass be substituted for the modern coloured panes in its windows.

I fear I shall be thought by some to have intruded too much of mere opinion and criticism on matters of taste, into a journal devoted to antiquarian research, but I would plead in my defence, that it is within the province of archæology not merely to establish dates or certify historical facts, but also to encourage a true appreciation of the relics bequeathed to us, as indications of the spirit, character, and genius, of a former age.