round-arched door (Fig. 1221), which is, however, lintelled in the
interior (see Fig. 1217). In the opposite wall a door leading to the
cloisters has the reverse arrangement, being round-arched in the inside
and lintelled on the exterior, where, on its west jamb, there is a
Maltese cross. A similar cross is visible on the west side of the
transept near the south end. There was a door into the cloisters from
the crossing (see Fig. 1215) and another existed from the nave.
The windows of the choir (Figs. 1222 and 1223) are all pointed, and
filled with the simplest tracery. Those of the nave and transept (Figs.
1224 and 1225) have square heads formed of straight arches, as shown in
the detailed drawings. These windows have cusped tracery, which, in the
nave, remained entire to the last, while that of the transept window
(Fig. 1226) was destroyed, the tracery having been cleared out to make a
cart entrance; but sufficient indications existed to permit of its
restoration. There are various small cusped windows throughout the
church, including the small one already referred to in the north wall of
the choir, that window and a high straight headed one in the tower being
the only church windows in the north side. The two upper windows in the
east
[Illustration: FIG. 1225.--Carmelite Friars’ Monastery. Window in
Transept.]
wall (Fig. 1227) serve, from their high position, to light the roof,
and, as seen from the interior (see Fig. 1217), they recall similar
features often found in the halls of castles, notably at Borthwick. On
the outside of the east end between these two smaller windows over the
large one there is a niche, which probably held a statue of the Virgin.
It is surrounded with various shields, the charges of which are effaced.
Above this, on the apex of the gable, there remains the corbelled base
of a belfry. The window in the tower above referred to is peculiar, as
will be seen from an enlarged sketch (Fig. 1228). It has a
deeply-splayed sill and lintel, with moulded jambs butting against them
at top and bottom. The piscina is shown in Fig. 1229, and the ambry and
sedilia are seen in the view of the choir (see Fig. 1217) and in the
enlarged drawings (Figs. 1230 and 1231). On either side of the choir
there is a row of large splayed corbels at the springing of the arched
roof, which seems to indicate that there was an upper room over the
choir.
Over the tower vault at the crossing there is an upper vault containing
two floors, the exposed ruinous arch of which is seen in the view from
the
[Illustration: FIG. 1226.--Carmelite Friars’ Monastery. Transept and
Tower, from South.]
south (see Fig. 1226). These floors are reached by the wheel stair shown
on Plan. The intermediate floor, having been of timber, was supported on
stone corbels. In each room there is a fireplace in the south wall; the
one in the lower room is about 6 feet wide, and is suggestive of having
been used for a kitchen; and there can be no doubt (as will be seen from
the terms of a charter to be quoted) but that these rooms formed a
residence. From the lower room there is a square window (now built up)
looking into the choir. It is immediately under the vault, and measures
about 3 feet wide by 4 feet high, and had probably some kind of closing
shutter. The windows of these rooms are all square-headed, and
overlooked the monastery.
[Illustration: FIG. 1227.--Carmelite Friars’ Monastery. East End.]
The upper part of the tower is gone, but it was doubtless finished with
a cape-house and parapet walk, after the manner of termination so
[Illustration: FIG. 1228.--Carmelite Friars’ Monastery.