Page:Archaeological Journal, Volume 8.djvu/511

 GOTHIC BUILDINGS OF OXFORD. SO.'i artificer of London." Who Smitli of London may liavc been, or whether he executed any otlier work.s beside tlii.s, does not seem to have been ascertained ; but certainly this work alone, executed at a time when Gothic architecture every- where else was sunk in utter debasement, (tught to rescue his name from oblivion. Its chief ftiult is a want of boldness in the ribs, but this flatness was a fault of the time, which he did not overcome. It has been generally considered that the whole of the work outside of the Hall was of this date, but it will be evident on examination that the two open doorways o})posite the Hall-door, as well as the arches and doorways under the landing, are of Wolsey's time ; all the details and the bold- ness of the work show them to belong to his building. The parts, therefore, which Smith executed were the central pillar, and the vaulting which it supports, the steps, and parapets. This part, it seems, was left unfinished by Wolsey. The steps were not completed, and it was not roofed. It is, therefore, possible, as this design harmonises so well with the rest of the building, that the original drawings might have been preserved, and the present stair- case built from them ; but whoever was the designer, it stands as one of the most beautiful things in Oxford, and one which no visitor should omit seeing. The buildings hitherto described or mentioned are all in Oxford, but there is another in its immediate neighbourhood which is worth notice ; this is Water Eaton, a house which appears to have been built in the beginning of James I.'s reign, and to have been the residence of Lord Lovelace. It is now a farm-house, but remains in a perfect and almost unaltered state. The house has transomed windows and a projecting porch, ornamented with pillars and pilasters. It has a large court-yard, with a detached building for offices on each side of the gateway in front. On the north side of the court-yard is the chapel, having a yard on the south side. It is this building which is remarkable, as it remains almost in the same state as when built, the screen, puljiit, and open seats being the same as when first put in, and the building, though late, has scarcely any mixture of the later style. The plan consists of a nave and chancel, divided by a chancel arch and screen, and having diagonal buttresses at