Page:Archaeological Journal, Volume 9.djvu/344

 268 OX THE ARCHITECTURE OF eastern part of the choir had merely an external wall, one can understand better why the Decorated architect should bring this whole space within the scope of his new arrangement, and leave the Norman wall to the west untouched, than why he should cut through the Norman wall up to a certain point and there leave off. The irregularity of the arches would be a greater e^^esore than the mere blank wall beyond the whole range. Again, as he reconstructed the whole north aisle from the Early English transverse arch at /, this involved a change in the choir from that point eastward ; while to make any alterations to the west of it mio;ht have been verv desirable in itself, but had no connexion with the particular design which occupied the mind of the brotherhood or their architect at that particular moment. The second idea of the church then included a choir with its new portion commencing from what we may imagine to have been designed as the chord of the original apse, with a north aisle extendino- alono- about half its lenoth. Whether it had any south aisle or not we have no certain means of judging. But though we ma}^ fairly consider this as, in idea at least, a second form of the church, it seems on the whole most probable that it never actually existed distinct from the first. We must remember how very late is the character of the Norman work, fast verging upon Earl}- English ; while the scanty remains of the choir, in their pilaster buttresses and anole-shafts, are hardlv more advanced in character. No great extent of time could have elapsed between the two. We may then on the whole most probably conclude that though this extended choir was the second in idea, it was the first in existence after the da3^s of Alexander ; most likely, as was above suggested, the short JN^orraan choir was never finished, but the design was changed in its progress, and continued on a more extended form, in a slightly advanced style. The third period embraces the Decorated changes, Dficorated "^liich liavc had so permanent an effect upon the Additions, appearance of the building, introducing all its most rare and beautiful features, and bringing it in its most essential portions to its condition immediately to those days of destruction whose works we are now endea- vouring to undo. In this, as I have before remarked, it