Page:Archaeological Journal, Volume 9.djvu/222

 162 OX THE AECHITECTUEE OF like the LaJv Chapel at EI3', or the present chapter-house of St. David's.* This church is, ou the whole, the nearest parallel I know to Dorchester ; and, allowing for the difference between Oxfordshire and Pembrokeshire, it may be thought a very exact one. Both were at once conventual and parochial — that the choir of Dorchester has not shared the fate of that of Monkton, or a worse, is due to an individual benefactor of the sixteenth centur}^ — in both the parochial element has swallowed up the conventual. The latter character is shown only in increased general size, and in the especially large proportions of the choir ; in both it is merely the rudest tj'pe of village church which has swelled to this gigantic scale ; so far from acquiring the character of a minster, it does not even approach to that of a large parish church. That this fact diminishes from the positive beauty of these individual buildings requires no proof. Yet in the case of Dorchester the fact is far from being; one to be reo;retted. If it were merely that the failure of these attempts to construct a large church on the plan of a small one, teach us more forcibly than anything else the totally distinct character of the two types, the gain would be no slight one either for the theory or the practice of ecclesiastical archi- tecture. But besides this, and besides the interest and pleasure called out by what is strange and unique, as well as by what is more strict!}^ beautiful, the effect of this pecuhar character of Dorchester Church on its individual portions is well worth}^ of our attention. We shall find that the very arrangements which detract from the beauty and just proportions of the whole greatly conduce to the striking appearance, sometimes even to the actual beauty, of incU- vidual parts. I will proceed to mention two or three illustrations of this, reservino- the strono-est case for the last. For instance, the south view of the church is exceedingly South View "^iposing ; the long extent of wall, broken only by the buttresses, and by the large and lofty windows, forms, meagre as is the tracery of the latter, one of the most striking ranges in existence. An extreme preponderance of any dimension, especially of length, is against the north wall of tlie choir to the chiuxh at this point, west of this cliapel, it appears that con-
 * From remains of arches and vaults ventual buildings were attached to the