Page:Archaeological Journal, Volume 6.djvu/84

44 position, it may have attracted little notice, appears to have been a conventual church of some importance. On arriving at the Frocester station, on the Gloucester and Bristol railroad, a walk of a mile and a half brings us to Leonard Stanley. The church is in the form of a cross, with a central tower, and no aisles; its style principally Norman, of a pure and early character; with later additions and insertions. The nave has a fine western Norman door, enriched with chevrons both on the face and soffit of the arch, and a billetted label. The side windows are mostly inserted, being Decorated and Perpendicular, though some with semicircular heads still remain. The arches under the tower are semicircular, of two plain orders without any chamfer. The inner is supported by a couplet of large engaged shafts, (a mark of early Norman,) and the imposts of the outer ones have buttresses, whether original, or added for strength. These occur in all the arches. The north transept has a Perpendicular window inserted in its front, but the south transept retains its own Norman one, with a deep splay. The Norman buttresses at the angles of the transepts are also retained. The south transept has a round arch on the east side, as if there had been an apsidal recess, as at Tewkesbury, Gloucester, &c. The chancel appears to have been constructed for vaulting in two bays on Norman shafts, which still remain, though decorated windows have been inserted both in the sides, and at the east end. The east window retains some painted glass in the tracery lights, one of which has a figure surrounded with quarries. The piscina is a trefoiled opening—near it is an elegant and interesting piece of sculpture, of which a cut is annexed. This is evidently of a Norman period, if not earlier. There seem to be some early English remains in the chancel. The length of the church internally is 131 feet, of which the nave, from the west wall to the west arch of the tower is 73 feet 9 inches. The total width internally, from north to south wall of transepts, is 67 feet 7 inches. The length of the chancel, from the east wall to the eastern arch of the tower, is 32 feet 9 inches. The width of the nave is 23 feet 3 inches; the width of the chancel 20 feet 7 inches. The area of the tower is oblong ; its measurement from east to west, including the thickness of the tower arches, being 25 feet 7 inches. From north to south, 33 feet 2 inches. Externally, the tower is low and