The
Decorated piers were found by Lord Grimthorpe in a very unsound
condition, not on account of any defect in the foundation, but on
account of the bad mortar in which their rubble cores had been set. This
had become dust, and tended to burst out the ashlar casing: this shell
was indeed doing all the work of supporting the weight resting on the
piers. Lord Grimthorpe shored up the arches, and in large measure
rebuilt the piers of larger stones. He says: "It took no small trouble
and scolding to get these worked as roughly as the old ones, so as to
make the work homogeneous and bewilder antiquaries." This sentence shows
the false principles on which Lord Grimthorpe sometimes worked;
necessary repairs should never be executed with a view to make the work
appear as old as that the place of which it takes.
[6] This was the original Benedictine arrangement, which is said to
remain in this church and Westminster Abbey only.
The pulpit against the fourth pier on the north side, counting from the
rood screen, is new, decorated with pentagonal diaper work--pentagons
being apparently particularly attractive to Lord Grimthorpe.
#The Organ.#--The present organ when first built in 1862 was placed in
the north arm of the transept, where the previously used organ had
stood; in 1877 it was moved to the north-east corner of the nave; and
was again moved in 1882, being then placed where it now is.
Pages:
48
49
50
51
52
53
54
55
56
57
58
59
60
61
62
63
64
65
66
67
68
69
70
71
72