It probably is useful as a support for the wall, but that
is all that can be said in its favour. Lord Grimthorpe thought that this
would be used as an entrance to the church on this side, but it has not
been so used. It is worthy of notice that this church is destitute of
porches, either on the southern or northern side; probably because they
were not needed in a purely monastic church.
[Illustration: THE SOUTH TRANSEPT AS REBUILT.]
#The South Transept.# The south arm of the transept was most ruthlessly
dealt with by Lord Grimthorpe; no doubt it was in an unsafe condition,
but his alterations here have been criticized severely, though not more
severely than they deserve. The south front with the five enormous
lancet windows--the lower parts of them lighting the church, the upper
parts of the three central ones the space between the ceiling and the
outer roof--was entirely rebuilt, together with the corner turrets. The
slype or passage between the transept and the chapter-house, leading
from the cloister to the cemetery of the monks, has been practically
destroyed, some of the arcading having been removed and rebuilt into the
interior face of the new south wall, some rebuilt into the south wall of
the slype; the stones of the west doorway of the slype with modern
additions were used up in making a doorway in the centre of the south
transept wall into the slype, and a new doorway was built at the east
end of the slype, thus forming a way into the transept which seems now
chiefly used as a passage for carrying in coke for the stoves in the
transept.
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