Page:Archaeological Journal, Volume 3.djvu/239

Rh hung in these openings, simply on a pivot, to swing backwards and forwards, but sometimes there is a wheel attached, as at Manton. In general the ropes are brought down through the roof, and the bells rung from within the church, but in some cases the ropes are brought down on the exterior of the wall, and the ringers stand on the ground outside of the church.

The various contrivances for strengthening the wall on which the bells are carried are also deserving of particular attention; the most usual and obvious one is by buttresses; of these there are commonly two, sometimes one only, and sometimes three; when there is a central buttress there are commonly two small west windows, one on each side, and these are sometimes so placed as to be combined in appearance into one in the interior, the wall between being splayed nearly to an edge; this arrangement occurs at Wantage, Berks, and Wilcote, Oxon, and is not uncommon. In some cases however the central buttress is pierced for a single lancet window, widely splayed within through the thickness of both wall and buttress, as at Manton, Rutland. These buttresses were sometimes found insufficient for the weight and play of the bells, and an additional projection was given to them, as at Forest Hill, Oxon, where one buttress has been added to, considerably more than the other, the effect of which is very singular, though when the situation is considered it is easily explained; this example is strikingly picturesque. Some of the examples which have been referred to belong to the Decorated style, and such bell-cots may be found in Perpen-