This part of the
church was rebuilt after the fall of part of the Norman arcade. The five
Early English bays to the west are divided from the Decorated ones to
the east by a massive pier, generally supposed to be Norman, but
probably rebuilt. The northern face of this runs up as a pilaster
buttress to the roof; the string round it in continuation of that below
the triforium is carved with tooth ornament. West of this we have tooth
ornament, to the east the characteristic ball flower. The junction of
the two styles is shown in the illustration below, from which it will be
noticed that, though there is a general resemblance in the bays on
either side of the dividing pilaster, yet the details are different. To
the east we see shields below the triforium string, and heads at the
termination of the hood moulding. The head shown in this photograph is
possibly that of Master Geoffrey, master mason to Abbot Hugh of
Eversden; the others passing on to the east are probably those of Edward
II., Queen Isabella, and Abbot Hugh. The shields, also counting from the
west, are those of England, France, Mercia, England, Edward the
Confessor, and England. The hood mouldings of the triforium and
clerestory also terminate in heads, some of them grotesque.
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