[Illustration: FIG. 1072.--The Collegiate Church of Rosslyn. North
Doorway and Buttresses, &c.]
[Illustration: FIG. 1073.--The Collegiate Church of Rosslyn. South Side
of Choir, looking East.]
have the same mouldings and orders of decoration both in the inside and
outside of the wall, each jamb having two beaded shafts with carved
caps. These beads are continued round the arches, and a large hollow
[Illustration: FIG. 1074.--The Collegiate Church of Rosslyn. Pinnacles
on Buttresses, from Roof of Aisle.]
[Illustration: FIG. 1075.--The Collegiate Church of Rosslyn. Pinnacles
at East End.]
[Illustration: FIG. 1076.--The Collegiate Church of Rosslyn. Pinnacles
over East Chapels, from Roof of Aisle.]
moulding connects them, which in the arches is always filled with
carving. In the jambs there are two different patterns in the alternate
windows, the one being a simple niche with canopy and bracket for a
figure, and the other the same, but with a moulded block instead of the
figure. There is very little variety in the tracery. The windows on each
side correspond with those on the opposite side. In the eastern chapels
four of the windows have the engrailed cross of the St. Clairs wrought
into the tracery.
The clerestory windows (see Fig. 1072) are all after one design, the
shafts, mouldings, and arches on the outside being repeated in the
interior (Fig. 1078). These are similar to those of the aisle windows
just described. Their decoration consists of large rosettes, occurring
at regular intervals in the hollow moulding between the shafts of the
jambs. All the clerestory windows are single lights. The tracery of the
large window in the east end (Fig. 1077) is modern. Its design is
probably founded on ancient remains, but whether or not it accords well
with the rest of the building.
The north and south doorways, which are opposite each other, are
recessed in quasi porches (see Figs. 1072 and 1073), formed by round
arches thrown between the buttresses, and the minor differences of the
doorways are shown in the sketches. The upper part of a window appears
over each, as in the south doorway of Glasgow Cathedral. The aisle roofs
being flat, there is no triforium or blind story, and the clerestory
windows are carried down to the string course over the main arches (see
Fig. 1078).
Turning now to the interior, it will be observed that the main piers are
composed of a series of round mouldings, separated by slight square
fillets, and that the corresponding wall shafts or responds (Fig. 1079)
are of trefoil form, with good caps and carved bases, which rest on the
side bench. The arch mouldings of the main arcade (see Fig. 1078) are
shallow, with regularly recurring orders of decoration, each arch having
an enriched hood moulding. The upper part of the wall slightly overhangs
on a bold carved and moulded string course. The wall space between the
clerestory windows is ornamented with two canopies and massive brackets
placed one over the other.
The choir roof, which consists of a pointed barrel vault (see Fig.
1080), is divided by strengthening ribs into compartments corresponding
with the bays, and each compartment is decorated differently (see Fig.
1078). The dividing ribs are moulded, and have large projecting cusps in
the form of fleurs-de-lys, &c., on the soffit. The compartments of the
roof are entirely “powdered with stars” or rosettes, set square or
diagonally. The construction of the aisle roofs is peculiar, although
something similar is frequent in castles, as will be afterwards alluded
to. A regularly constructed straight arch with proper radiating joints,
concealed behind upright joints, spans each aisle (see Fig. 1079) from
pillar to wall shaft. These horizontal arches or lintels have flat
relieving arches over them, which in some instances are visible. The
aisles are roofed with a series of
[Illustration: FIG. 1077.--The Collegiate Church of Rosslyn. East End of
Choir, above Roof of Aisles.]
pointed barrel vaults thrown between the above straight arches, and
running at right angles to the axis of the building (Fig. 1081). This is
[Illustration: FIG. 1078.--The Collegiate Church of Rosslyn. Interior of
Choir, looking East.]
one of the most unusual features of construction in the edifice. The
straight arches or lintels, as they may be called, are all most
profusely
[Illustration: FIG. 1079.--The Collegiate Church of Rosslyn. Interior of
West End of North Aisle.]
carved with foliage or figure carving (Fig. 1082), the amount of
decoration on each being, as usual, of corresponding artistic value.