[Illustration: FIG. 469.--Larida Cathedral.
Doorway of Porch.
(From Street’s _Spain_.)]
view and plan of it are given (Figs. 470 and 471). From these it will be
seen that within the great thickness of the wall (20 feet 3 inches) a
chamber of considerable size has been obtained, which opens into the
nave by six pointed arches (Fig. 472), and to the outside over the
doorway by three arches (see Fig. 467). As already stated, the original
outer features are gone, and only the rugged skeleton remains. It is
quite obvious from Fig. 467 and from the Plan (see Fig. 471) that three
gablets projected outwards from the wall for a distance of about 4 feet,
supported on two intermediate shafts (marked =X X=), and that the gallery
was closed in at each end with walls or haffits, both of which still in
part remain. It is thus apparent that we now see the west front robbed
of its most unique features, and the bare masonry exposed, which was
never meant to be seen. This gallery was reached by a long passage at
each end from stairs in the angle buttresses. It probably was a gallery
for an orchestra, and it would also be suitable as a pulpit from which
to address an audience in the open air. As above mentioned, it is
probable that this part of the building was erected at two different
times, the west doorway and some of the pillars of the gallery being in
the early transition style, while the triple windows to the front and
the six-light
[Illustration: FIG. 470.--Arbroath Abbey. Gallery over West Doorway.]
arcade towards the interior are in the first pointed style. When the
gallery was completed in the first pointed period, the floor space was
enlarged by extending it to the front, hence the necessity for the deep
tunnel arch over the west doorway. The pointed arches in the ingoing
also indicate the first pointed period.
Above this gallery there was an immense circular window, of which only a
portion survives.
The western towers opened with arches into the north and south and
central aisles (see Fig. 472), but only the north tower retains its
massive pier and arches. Of the south tower nothing but the foundation
of the pier exists.
[Illustration: FIG. 471.--Arbroath Abbey. Plan of Gallery over West
Doorway.]
The south wall of the transept (see Fig. 464) is comparatively plain on
the outside, merely the upper part being visible above the dormitory
roof. The façade presents two plain lancet windows, one very much
shorter than the other to admit of the before-mentioned roof, and above
the lancets a large wheel window occupies the gable. The interior of the
transept (Fig. 473) is a very grand design in the early pointed style.
The lancets are splayed to a great width in the interior with banded
nook shafts on the sconsions, and arched above in the simplest manner
without any mouldings. Beneath the lancets there is a round arched open
arcade having a passage behind it, and beneath this two tiers of wall
arcades with pointed arches, the central arcade being very acutely
pointed, and the lower one not so decidedly pointed, and with trefoil
cusps in the arches. A staircase in the south-east angle of the transept
gave access to the dormitory by the door which is seen built up on the
outside (see Fig. 464). This staircase also leads to the various
passages in the thickness of the walls shown in Fig. 473. The doorway
leading from the church to this stair (Fig. 474) ranges with the lower
pointed arcade, and is round arched. The west return wall of the
transept is very bold and grand, as seen from the interior (see Fig.
473). The lower arcade of the south end is continued along the west
wall, and above this two
[Illustration: FIG. 472.--Arbroath Abbey. Interior of West End.
(From a Sketch by Mr. T. S. Robertson, Dundee.)]
windows widely splayed, and having nook shafts on the sconsions, rise to
a great height and are finished with moulded circular arches in the
interior and pointed lancets in the exterior. All the lofty windows in
the south transept have passages on two floors. The upper passage
running along this wall must have been connected with some kind of
bridge thrown across the windows. There are indications of rests for
beams doubtless connected with this arrangement, which would probably
[Illustration: FIG. 473.--Arbroath Abbey. Interior of South Transept.]
be of a temporary nature. The transepts had chapels on the east side.
The respond of the great arcade against the south wall (see Fig. 474) is
beautiful in detail. Above this there exist fragments of the responds
of
[Illustration: FIG. 474.--Arbroath Abbey. South-East Angle of South
Transept.]
the triforium story and the clerestory. All the above features of this
part of the abbey point plainly to its having some lingering remains of
transition style, retaining as it does some round arches along with the
general pointed features of the design.
The sacristy or vestry was built by Abbot Walter Paniter between 1411
and 1433. It is a two story building, the ground floor having a groined
ceiling still entire, but the upper room being roofless. Externally,
this structure is severe and simple in style (see Fig. 463), while in
the interior there is considerable richness of ornament, with details of
a somewhat rude kind. It contains many features which identify it as
work of the fifteenth century, such, for example, as the caps of the
shafts of the doorway (Fig. 475). The sacristy is in a good state of
preservation.
[Illustration: FIG. 475.--Arbroath Abbey. Caps of Doorway.]
Of the conventual buildings only fragments now remain. An octagonal
turret (see Fig. 461) marks the south-east corner of the chapter house
with the south and east return walls, and adjoining the south transept
is the slype, the walls of which determine the other walls of the
chapter house. On the wall of the south transept is clearly seen the
mark of the dormitory roof, with the door between the church and
dormitory now built up.
A range of erections, and a lofty wall which formed the northern
enclosure of the abbey precincts (Fig. 476), extend westwards from the
church, in a line with the south aisle, for a distance of about 190
feet. This north wall, and a portion of the west wall proceeding
southward from it, are all that remain of the extensive enclosure of the
abbey, which is
[Illustration: FIG. 476.--Arbroath Abbey. North Enclosing Wall and
Gateway.]
said to have been of great height, and to have extended 1150 feet on the
east and west, 760 feet on the north, and 480 feet on the south. There
were great towers at the angles and entrance gateways on the north, and
at the south-east angle. In the centre of the existing north wall is the
portcullis entrance gatehouse, which is about 24 feet wide, with a
vaulted enclosure about 65 feet long. The front wall (Fig. 477) is
almost entire, and
[Illustration: FIG. 477.--Arbroath Abbey. Front of North Gatehouse.]
the upper floor window is crossed by the corbels which carried the
movable wooden hoarding which was erected over the gateway when required
for its defence. The side walls are entire, and show remains of the
groined roof and strong gates for defence. The roof and gates were
destroyed by the Town Council in 1800. At the western extremity of the
north enclosing wall (see Figs. 466 and 476) there exists a large square
tower, three stories in height, in the inside, but four stories on the
outside, owing to the fall of the ground. The two lower floors are round
vaulted, the upper vault having ribs, with a door of access from the
precinct secured with a sliding bar. The upper floors (see Fig. 461),
which were living apartments, were reached by a high door, and only
communicated with the floors below by means of a trap, as in the case of
many of the pele towers. The two upper floors, which contained
fireplaces and windows with stone seats, are connected with a wheel
stair in the north-west corner. The cape house on top is said to have
been removed during this century. This tower formed the north-west
corner of the abbey precinct.[27]
[Illustration: FIG. 478.--Arbroath Abbey. Abbot’s House from North-East.
(From a Sketch by Mr. T. S. Robertson.)]
The building adjoining the tower to the east was called the Regality
Court-house. It entered from the street, and was about 40 feet long by
18 feet wide, and had a groined ceiling. The next apartment running up
to the gateway entered from the precinct. It was about 28 feet long, and
had a barrel vault, with massive splayed ribs similar to those of the
tower. The range of buildings between the gateway and the church are of
two stories, the lower story having a groined ceiling.
[Illustration: FIG. 479.--Arbroath Abbey. Abbot’s House from South-West.
(From a Drawing by Mr. T. S. Robertson.)]
One of the most interesting and best preserved buildings is the abbot’s
house on the south side of the cloister (see Fig. 461). It is three
stories high, the two upper floors being converted into a modern private
dwelling-house (Figs. 478 and 479). Having been used at one time as a
thread manufactory, the house has been altered externally and spoiled of
its ancient internal fittings, with the exception of two fine carved
panels, one representing the Virgin (Fig. 480), and the other a large
Scotch thistle (Fig. 481). The ground floor contains the kitchen--a fine
apartment with central pillars supporting a groined roof--with a large
arched fireplace in the west end. The other offices connected with the
kitchen are all vaulted. The house is extremely picturesque and
valuable, being the best preserved abbot’s house in Scotland.
[Illustration: FIG. 480.--Arbroath Abbey.
Carved Panel in Abbot’s House.
(From a Drawing by Mr. T. S. Robertson.)]
During the 350 years of the existence of Arbroath Abbey many events
happened entailing changes in the buildings. Thus, in 1272, a great fire
occurred in the town, in which the abbey suffered. In particular the
north-west tower is supposed to have been partly wrecked, and to have
been rebuilt and carried to a greater height than formerly, or, at
least, higher than the other tower. Again, in 1350, a grant was made by
William, Bishop of St. Andrews, to enable the repairs to be completed of
the “almost irreparable injuries” the abbey had suffered “from the
frequent assaults of the English shipping.”[28] In 1380 the church was
again injured by fire. So serious was this conflagration that the monks
had to be distributed among other religious houses till the roofs of the
choir, nave, and transepts were repaired. In connection with the repairs
there is preserved in the Chartulary an interesting contract between
[Illustration: Fig. 481.--Arbroath Abbey. Carved Panel in Abbot’s House.
(From a Drawing by Mr. T. S. Robertson.)]