A preliminary word on the various styles of English architecture
is necessary before we consider the churches and other important
buildings of our county.
Pre-Norman or, as it is usually, though with no great certainty
termed, Saxon building in England, was the work of early craftsmen
with an imperfect knowledge of stone construction, who commonly used
rough rubble walls, no buttresses, small semi-circular or triangular
arches, and square towers with what is termed "long-and-short work"
at the quoins or corners. It survives almost solely in portions of
small churches.
The Norman conquest started a widespread building of massive
churches and castles in the continental style called Romanesque,
which in England has got the name of "Norman." They had walls of
great thickness, semi-circular vaults, round-headed doors and windows,
and lofty square towers.
From 1150 to 1200 the building became lighter, the arches pointed,
and there was perfected the science of vaulting, by which the weight
is brought upon piers and buttresses. This method of building,
the "Gothic," originated from the endeavour to cover the widest
and loftiest areas with the greatest economy of stone. The first
English Gothic, called "Early English," from about 1180 to 1250, is
characterised by slender piers (commonly of marble), lofty pointed
vaults, and long, narrow, lancet-headed windows. After 1250 the
windows became broader, divided up, and ornamented by patterns of
tracery, while in the vault the ribs were multiplied. The greatest
elegance of English Gothic was reached from 1260 to 1290, at which
date English sculpture was at its highest, and art in painting,
coloured glass making, and general craftsmanship at its zenith.
After 1300 the structure of stone buildings began to be overlaid with
ornament, the window tracery and vault ribs were of intricate patterns,
the pinnacles and spires loaded with crocket and ornament. This later
style is known as "Decorated," and came to an end with the Black Death,
which stopped all building for a time.
With the changed conditions of life the type of building
changed. With curious uniformity and quickness the style called
"Perpendicular"--which is unknown abroad--developed after 1360 in all
parts of England and lasted with scarcely any change up to 1520. As
its name implies, it is characterised by the perpendicular arrangement
of the tracery and panels on walls and in windows, and it is also
distinguished by the flattened arches and the square arrangement of
the mouldings over them, by the elaborate vault-traceries (especially
fan-vaulting), and by the use of flat roofs and towers without spires.
The mediaeval styles in England ended with the dissolution of the
monasteries (1530-1540), for the Reformation checked the building of
churches. There succeeded the building of manor-houses, in which the
style called "Tudor" arose--distinguished by flat-headed windows,
level ceilings, and panelled rooms. The ornaments of classic style
were introduced under the influences of Renaissance sculpture and
distinguish the "Jacobean" style, so called after James I. About this
time the professional architect arose. Hitherto, building had been
entirely in the hands of the builder and the craftsman.
Much of the stone used in Berkshire is of local origin, as has already
been mentioned in Chapter 12, but a great deal has also been brought
from a distance. Thus it is recorded that when the Abbot of Abingdon
in 1100 rebuilt the conventual buildings as well as much of the
abbey church, the materials were brought from Wales, six waggons,
each drawn by twelve oxen, being engaged in the work. A great deal
of Bath stone will be found in Berkshire buildings and some has even
been brought from Caen in Normandy. Pillars and tombstones of Purbeck
marble are common in the churches. In the south wall of the Dean's
Cloisters at Windsor (temp. Henry III) there are clusters of columns
and one column in each is of Purbeck marble.
The tower of the church at Wickham, north-west of Newbury, is of
a very early style of architecture, showing a variety of "long and
short" work. Two of the belfry windows are double with a pillar in
the middle, and are characteristic of this early work. The walls are
very thick. The remainder of the church has been rebuilt.
On pages 96 and 97 there are views of Norman doorways at Faringdon,
both round-headed and one with an embattled moulding over the door. The
church at Avington on the banks of the river Kennet a little below
Hungerford is a good example of the Norman style of architecture,
and there is a most interesting little church at Finchampstead
near Wokingham of which a view is given on page 98. It was built
in the twelfth century and the east end of the chancel is round,
as was usual at that time. The original windows were probably very
small, and those which we now see were cut in the wall since Norman
times. The north aisle, too, is newer than the body of the church,
and the brick tower only dates from the seventeenth century. In the
church there is a Norman font. There is more or less Norman work
remaining in many of our other churches. Thus the illustration on
page 92 gives a view of the church of St Nicholas at Abingdon, and a
round-headed Norman doorway will be seen under the tower, whilst the
remainder of the building belongs to a later style of architecture,
probably of the fifteenth century. The tower of West Shefford church
is curious, the lower part is round and of Norman date, whilst the
upper part is octagonal and was built subsequently.
Passing now to the Early English style of architecture there is on
page 99 a view of Faringdon Church, which it will be seen is built in
the form of a cross with a massive square tower in the middle. Some of
the arches inside the church are round-headed like Norman arches, but
the windows are of the long narrow shape usual in the Early English
style of building. We have churches built mainly in this style in
many places, such as Ardington, Buckland, and Uffington.
Of the Decorated style there is a most beautiful church at Shottesbrook
near White Waltham, which was built by Sir William Tressel in 1337. It
is cruciform with a tall spire. The walls are of small dressed flints,
with corners and window and door frames of stone. The roof is tiled
and the spire of stone, the east end window large with beautiful stone
tracery (p. 158), and the church is an unusually good example of the
Decorated style. The Greyfriars Church at Reading was also built in
the Decorated style. It was long a ruin or used for various purposes,
but is now restored. We also have churches mainly in this style of
architecture at Sparsholt, Warfield, and at other places.
We have many examples of Perpendicular style in Berkshire, but by
far the best is the Chapel of St George in Windsor Castle (pp. 69,
71). The greater part of this chapel was built in the time of Edward
IV. The windows are large and the nave consequently very light. The
stone roof of the nave was added by Henry VII, and that of the
choir by Henry VIII. In the choir are the stalls of the Knights of
the Garter, and installation ceremonies of the Order are performed
here. St Helen's Church, Abingdon, is our best Berkshire parish church
in the Perpendicular style (the tower is Early English). It is large,
with five aisles, as will be seen in the illustration here given. The
church at Bray is chiefly celebrated on account of a vicar, one Simon
Aleyn, who died in 1588 after holding the living under Henry VIII,
Edward VI, Mary, and Elizabeth and altering his views as occasion
required. The church is however of itself interesting, and in it will
be found examples of Early English, Decorated, and Perpendicular
work. The tower belongs to the latest of these styles and is but
badly joined on to the aisle of Edwardian date. It is mostly built of
flints, but a broad band of chalk will be noticed about half-way up
(p. 149). There is a good example of a church in this style at Newbury.
Brick church towers are a feature of eastern Berkshire and many of
them date from the seventeenth century. One of these, at Finchampstead,
is shown in the illustration on page 98.
There are crosses or their remains in many of the churchyards and
villages. At Ardington there is both a new cross and the shaft of
an old one. There are crosses at Denchworth, Goosey, East Hagbourne,
Inglesham, North or Ferry Hinksey, Steventon, etc.
At Harwell the rood-screen still remains; there are interesting lead
fonts at Childrey and at Long Wittenham; and stands for hour-glasses
still exist in the churches at Binfield, Hurst, and Inglesham.
In former times it was very common to keep books in the churches
fastened to the shelf or reading-desk by chains, and a few of them
still remain. There are several in St Helen's Church, Abingdon. A
chained Bible of 1611 is in Cumnor church, and until recently
there were several at Denchworth, but they have been removed to the
vicarage, and Caxton's Golden Legend of 1483 which used to be chained
in Denchworth Church is now in the Bodleian Library.