Page:Archaeological Journal, Volume 9.djvu/347

 THE ABBEY CIIURClf OF DOUCIIESTER. 271 ventual buildings must have come close up against the tower. It has a west door, and over that a large window which is now completely built up, so that it can only be seen from within. At the angle is a very fine buttress, almost amounting to a turret, with niches, high pediments, pinnacles, etc. Now, it so happens, as Mr. Addington has observed, that the details both of this buttress and of the west window are altogether dissimilar to anything in the rest of the aisle, and appear at least as early as the south choir aisle, to which they present a much greater resemblance. Indeed he might have safely gone still further, and pronounced them to be contemporary with the )wrth choir aisled The whole detail of the buttress and window, especially the square plinths to its internal jamb-shafts, might be safely called Early English. Probably a south aisle W7is commenced, but was carried no further than the west wall ; this part remaining unfinished, while the greater works were being effected in the choir. We shall only observe in this place that this front received some alterations, to be hereafter described, during the later Decorated changes. The second portion of Decorated work includes the great south choir aisle, with the southern arcade. This south choir must have followed upon the completion of the other '^'^'^• with very little intermission. The style is somewhat more ad- vanced, and is now confirmed Decorated, but it still retains quite the character of Early Gothic, in its marked distinctness of parts, the bold shafts, deep mouldings, bands, &c. The arcades on each side the choir are identical in general effect, the architect of the south aisle having evidently intended to bring his work, in this respect, into the most perfect harmony with that of his predecessor ; but on a more minute examination, differences of detail may be discovered, some of which have been pointed out by Mr. Addington. The section of the piers is not identical, and the bases are very different ; the later ones having more numerous mouldings, as well as much bolder and more projecting plinths, all of which also are octagonal, while on the north side that of every alternate member is round. Those on the north side, however, are not identical among themselves. The two eastern windows of this aisle belong to the same ' They resemble it more nearly in buttress is one used in the south ciioir general character ; yet the sti-ing on the aisle, but not occurring in the )iorth.