The west end of this fine chapel, with its extremely picturesque tower
(Fig. 1207), fronts the main street of Old Aberdeen, and forms the
north-west corner of the college quadrangle.
The chapel (Fig. 1208) is a long narrow building, with a three-sided
apsidal east end, measuring inside the walls about 122 feet 6 inches in
length by about 28 feet in width. It is divided into six bays by
projecting buttresses, and has a large window filled with mullions and
tracery in each bay on the north side, except the second one from the
[Illustration: FIG. 1207.--King’s College Chapel. West End and Tower.]
west, which contains a doorway. Similar large windows are continued
round the apse (but the centre one is built up), and there is also one
in the east bay of the south side. Over the west doorway there is a
large west window (see Fig. 1207) of four lights, with solid built
mullions and loop tracery enclosed within a round arch. All the other
large windows just referred to have pointed arches (except the second
from the east end on the north side), the tracery in those of the apse
and in each adjoining window being modern. The other four north windows
have, like the large west window, a solid built central mullion going
right up to the apex of the arch, and having each half filled with the
usual loop tracery. This mode of division of the tracery of a window by
a large central built mullion into two distinct portions, each filled
with its own tracery, is not uncommon in Scotland, as, for instance, at
Seton College, where, however, the mullion divides into two arches and
forms two pointed divisions in the arch-head. Besides the north doorway
[Illustration: FIG. 1208.--King’s College Chapel. Plan.]
already mentioned, there are two to the quadrangle and one in the west
end, all having elliptic arched tops. The mouldings of the west doorway
have bases, but no caps. The south side of the chapel (Fig. 1209) forms
a complete contrast to the north side. Instead of large windows
occupying each bay, small clerestory windows, with flat arch-heads,
occur at intervals along the top of the wall, while the lower part of
the wall is left plain, being doubtless intended as a provision for a
covered cloister walk. This, however, was never carried out, but instead
of it Bishop Stewart (1532-1545) erected a building against this side of
the chapel, consisting of two floors, and containing a library, a jewel
house, vestry, and class-rooms. These were taken down and re-erected on
the same site about 1725, and about fifty years afterwards were
destroyed by fire, when the south side of the chapel assumed its present
appearance, being “cased and buttressed with granite as we now see
it.”[118] Dr. Macpherson further tells us that the coats of arms which
now adorn this side of the chapel had been nearly all on the walls of
the library, and, having escaped the fire, were, along with some others,
inserted in the new granite work. These arms, along with many other
coats throughout the building and the college, have been minutely
described.[119] We need only mention here the arms of the founder of the
college, Bishop William Elphinston, which occur at the west end of the
south side of the chapel, viz., a chevron between three boars’ heads
[Illustration: FIG. 1209.--King’s College Chapel. South Side.]
erased, surmounted by a mitre between the initials W. E. and “at sides
O. B. A. D. MDXIV. Æ.S. LX (XX) IV.” The royal arms occur on the
northmost buttress of the west front of the tower, dated 1504, while
those of Margaret Tudor, wife of James IV., appear on another shield in
the west front. Adjoining the west doorway an inscription informs us
that the chapel was begun by James IV. in 1500. It apparently occupied
about
[Illustration: FIG. 1210.--King’s College Chapel. Rood Screen.]
six years in building, as the contract for covering it with lead is
dated 1506.
[Illustration: FIG. 1211.--King’s College Chapel. Tower, from
South-East.]
[Illustration: FIG. 1212.--King’s College Chapel. Upper Part of Tower.]
The interior is divided by a wooden screen of very rich carved work, the
central portion of which (Fig. 1210) is about 9 feet 7 inches wide, with
[Illustration: FIG. 1213.--King’s College Chapel. Plan of Crown.]
double folding doors about 5 feet 9 inches wide by 7 feet 3 inches high.
The side portions of the screen within the choir form a continuation of
the canopied stalls occupying each side of the choir. Owing to the
circumstance of the nave having been fitted up as a library, the ancient
arrangement of the screen with its rood loft, ambone, and altars on the
nave side were destroyed. Dr. Macpherson, in the paper already referred
to, has by illustrations and description traced its original
construction, and to this the reader is referred.
The tower at the south-west corner (Fig. 1211) is not quite square,
measuring over the walls about 29 feet from north to south, and about 4
feet less from east to west. It has massive corner buttresses, with
numerous stepped intakes towards the top, similar to the buttresses of
the chapel, being a style of buttress of very frequent occurrence in
Scottish late churches, as, for example, at Stirling Church. The tower
is finished with one of the few crown steeples remaining in Scotland,
being, with that of St. Giles’, Edinburgh, and the Tolbooth, Glasgow,
the only three surviving of those which we could at one time boast. The
general style of the structure is very similar to that of St. Giles’,
but in this case there are only four arches thrown from the angles of
the tower to the central lantern (Fig. 1213), while in the case of St.
Giles’ there are eight, which produce a fuller and richer effect. The
tower (see Fig. 1211) is about 63 feet in height to the top of the
battlements. From that point to the base of the lantern pillars (Fig.
1212) is about 15 feet 9 inches, from whence to the top of the cross is
about 20 feet. The total height is thus about 99 feet.[120]
The upper part of the steeple was blown down in a violent storm on 7th
February 1633. Spalding, under that date,[121] says:--“This hideous
winds was marked to be such, as the like had never been seen here in
these parts, for it would overturn countrymen’s houses to the ground,
and some persons suddenly smo’red within, without relief. It also threw
down the stately crown bigged of curious eslar work, off the steeple of
King’s College of Old Aberdeen, whilk was thereafter re-edified and
built up, little inferior to the first.” The part blown down was
probably only the lantern on the top of the four arches, the details of
this part having a decidedly Renaissance character, and being different
from the other parts of the tower. Doubtless the arches themselves would
suffer in the crash, and would require repairing and rebuilding in part,
which was evidently done, as the date 1634 is carved on the soffit of
the crossing. This difference of detail is interesting, as showing how
persistently these old designers wrought in the style of their time.
Although it is evident that the present lantern is not quite the same as
the original one, it must be admitted to be an extremely happy and
picturesque composition.
In connection with the rebuilding Spalding mentions two names. First,
under the year 1640 he says:--“Dr. Gordon, medicinar, and one of the
founded members of the College of Old Aberdeen, and common procurator
thereof, departed this life upon the 10th of March, in his own house in
Old Aberdeen; a godly, grave, and learned man; singular in publick works
about the college, and putting up on the steeple thereof the stately and
glorious crown, which you see thereon, which was thrown down by the
wind.” Second, under the year 1642 he says:--“Saturday the 10th
September, George Thomson, Master Mason, new come frae Strathboggie to
Aberdeen, suddenly fell over Thomas Thomson’s stair, and with the fall
became speechless and senseless, and departed this life upon the
Thursday thereafter. An excellent mason, of singular device; he builded
sundry brave buildings; among the rest, he re-edified the steeple of the
College Kirk of Old Aberdeen.” It has been supposed[122] that Dr. Gordon
was the architect who designed the lantern, but the same claim might be
put forward for the then Bishop, for in Gordon’s description of Aberdeen
(p. 23) we are told--“Bot the crown was quicklie afterwards restored in
a better forme and condition, by the direction of Patrick Forbes of
Corse, then Bishop of Aberdeen.” It is quite as likely that Thomson was
both the architect and builder, and that the bishop and Dr. Gordon were
the men of affairs.
The old lantern, which had stood for upwards of a century, appears to
have been neglected and to have fallen into a state of disrepair, as in
1620 the authorities ordained “that the heid of the gryt stepill sould
be mendit in steane leid and tymer as the samen was abefoir;”[123] but
evidently nothing was done, and so it yielded to the storm.
Most of the windows on the west front of the tower appear to be modern.
This tower, with its crown and most of the chapel, is built of
sandstone.