Plates 3.10-11: Lincoln Minster (Original Explanatory Account)

in which the mistakes committed in the visible parts of the West steeples, and also discoverable upon examination of the parts hid by the additional works, induced Dr. Gordon to order correct plans and uprights to be made, which were, with great labour, attention, and very frequent goings-up and down, picked out by Mr. William Lumby, clerk of the works of that fabrick.

It may be proper to observe, that in what are called the remains of Remigius’s church there are two distinct styles of architecture; and, contrary to the received opinion, it is probable bishop Alexander was not the author of the present nave and ailes, but that there remains no more of what he did than the three doors, with their ornaments, which have always been considered as designed by Remigius with the rest of his work. They seem not of Remigius’s time, from their different style of workmanship, and the irregular manner in which they join to his work; the stone also lie in different beds and courses. Pointed arches int he Gothic manner did not come in (at least did not universally prevail) till towards the end of Henry II’s reign, and Alexander died before that time. The work Alexander is said to have done at Newark is of this style. He is also said to have built the church of Kirton in Holland, where remains a door-way in the same style; and, what is remarkable, it has a pointed arch.

Mr. Lumby, in his letter to Sir Joseph Banks accompanying these plans and elevations, promises to make some remarks on that curious and ancient structure the church at STOW, whose history and architecture are so interwoven with the church at Lincoln, as to be a proper companion to it; and part of whose architecture being older than any at Lincoln (except some detached specimens, as the font, a drawing of which he has made), on investigation will, from the little he has read of the style of that time, throw considerable light on the subject of Saxon and Norman building.

B. The original staircase; but where it communicated with the floor is not now even to be conjectured. The present way to it is by a staircase made when the additional chapels and other works were added, the doors C and D being then broken through the old work for that purpose, and a new staircase made at E, that leads to the old one, which now commences at A (See the West elevation), over the heads of the niches, and which also made it impossible to go to the floor without taking some other directions; and this it plainly does at F, and has gone forwards towards the South-west window on a level, or with the least descent, till it is lost in the later works. The outward circle shews the diameter of the staircase at this place, being ten feet six inches; the inner dotted circle shews the diameter at the present top of Remigius’s steeple: from which strange circumstance of the inside of the top of that leg standing upon nothing as it were, much of the ruinous work is occasioned; though more is made by the South-west and North-west parts of the legs of the steeples standing on so small a base as ZZ.

G. Those steps are made to form a communication across the present windows. They are of later work, and rise from the bottoms of the present windows to the places H. From the direction the steps or way takes at F, and other circumstances, there was originally a way across the West end of the church, on a level, and which communicated with the places H, and the place called the prison over K. The Dean and Chapter’s prison was probably at this place, for in searching at G for the original staircase form the floor, a part of an iron setter was found; but there had even no staircase there, though from some alteration it appeared as if there had.

The use of the places H is not, I believe, known; there does not appear to have been doors or window shutters to them.

I. There was no porch on the North side, as on the South, but a door under a large arch into a place K; there are two loop-holes, one on each side the door. The door-way is so low that one must stoop to go into it; and the door itself opened inwards. If for a place of confinement, this low door corresponds with Mr Howard’s notion of prison doors being so made.

What the intention of the arch L was, I am not able to say, unless all the space within the arch was formerly open, and the present door-way and loops made since. The arch sprung from no lower situation than the present door-sill, neither are there any imposts or jaumbs, to suppose it the head or top part of the gate-way, &c. There was not originally a door from the church into this place; the door you now go through into it, which is the way to the great bell (expressed by dotted lines on the plan) being evidently broken through the wall since. The frames of stone, L, which are fixed in the arched roof or cieling of this place, have the appearance of being intended for something like trap-doors to convey things to and from the place or prison above: you may see them on the floor of the place above, but which have no rebates for a door to have shut in. This upper place or prison (which is between the place K in N⁰ 1 and D on N⁰ 2) had a way to it, at G, from the original gallery across the West windows; and also by a door on the North side, to which there appears to have been no access but by a ladder. The door itself is now there, a very strong one, with an iron grating over the top; the bottom of the door is several steps above the floor. On the same side is another opening, now hid by some newer work. At the East end is another opening, now made up, which was probably a window, like that at the West end.

C is a place over the South porch, on the walls of which several figures of crucifixes, beasts, &c. are cut, seemingly with a knife point, or nail; which perhaps may have got it the name of prison, supposing nobody but through necessity would have staid so long in such a gloomy spot as to complete them. There are three of those places above each other on the North side, and two on the fourth; one which on each side is immediately under the roof, and does not seem to have had doors to shut them up, as the others have.

The walls of the upper part of the steeples (except on the East sides) are built double, as expressed by the dotted lines G, and with a staircase in the four West legs from X to Y. There is the appearance of a door or niche at E on the inside, but not seen now on the outside.

N⁰ 3. Elevation of the remains of Remigius’s church.

DD. There are now statues in each of these recesses lately put up, and had been in some other places before.

E. The figures or relievos are illustrative of some parts of Scripture. They are thought to have been brought from some other more ancient building, on account of the irregular manner in which they are placed.

In what manner the windows were made, or their size, does not appear; though they could come no lower than the gallery and place marked H.

G. The window which gives light to the prison described over the pace K (see the ground plan N⁰ I.) and H, gives light to the bottom or present beginning of the original stairs, whose communication with the floor is not known.

I. I. These intersecting arches are visible as the front now is; as are also the water-tables K, the pillars and arches L to the front angle M, and someway past the corner, though behind some of the new work. The pillars and arches N are also seen behind the newer work; and these parts having corresponding ones on the North and South fronts, both as to height and manner of work, there cannot be a doubt but the general appearance of the front was as is represented. There might be some difference in the ornaments of the gables from the North and South sides, but it is most probable they were alike.

Mr. Lumby had supposed the Part P round the legs of the steeples, which formed the communication with the roof and gutter on the South from W (to which there is a door, like Q, in the North and South legs at C on the South elevation) to be finished with pillars and arches, from the circumstance of the pillars at the end of each gable O being short ones, as if to make a preparation for this sort of finishing round the corner to the other gable; but, from a place he has since observed, where one may see a part of R return from the North front plain, it may have been left without ornament: some repairs which are necessary to be done will discover it.

There are many circumstances to suppose the center arch over the middle window to rise from S; how the gable and parts above were ornamented, there is nothing now even to guess from, though there is good evidence that the roof went no higher than as expressed by the plain line.

T is an arch called the Stone Balk; of a very singular construction. The extent is twenty-eight feet in breadth, twenty-two inches on the top, and thirteen inches on the bottom, so much of each lower edge being chamfered off as makes the difference. It is six inches and a half lower at the North than the south end, and rises thirteen inches

The under side is twelve inches above the present stone vaulting. It is not to be seen whether it abuts against Remigius’s steeple, or a casing of stone work U brought up to this place, and which begins upon the set-off where Remigius’s ceiling rested, which was about the bottom of some checquer or mosaic work, which is seen in the porch or vestibule between the steeples.

The workmanship of this arch or balk is by no means nice, the joints being filled or wedged with oyster shells, bits of slate, &c. It has a sensible vibration when jumped upon. Mr. Lumby never heard a reason assigned for its erection that he thought satisfactory. If so apparently slender a work is a poise or prop to each steeple reciprocally, it must be calculated upon some very nice principle. Remigius’s roof going no higher than here marked (and which there is every evidence to support), it was not built by him, because it would have been then in part exposed to the weather, which must soon have ruined it; and also its edge being chamfered off is not characteristic of Norman work. Perhaps it was meant as a gauge to discover any settlement that might happen while the upper or later part of the steeples was carrying on.

Plate XI. N⁰ 4. South elevation, and as much of the North as is different from it, being only the lower part.

The whole of this and the North front may be seen now, part from the church-yard, and part behind the additional works, except at A, which was spoken of before, and the lower part B of the porch, which is made up by the staircase that leads to the original one.

At C is the door from the staircase into the gutter by which they went round the leg of the steeple to the West side.

For what reason the recess D was set out of the center does not appear.

E. Door to place marked K in Plan, Fig. I.

F. Door to prison. There is a staple at G to fasten the doors on the outside.

N⁰ 5. Half the great West door.

A. The plan.

B. Place of a pillar which is wanting.

C. One of the capitals, to a larger scale.

D. Capital to of the pillars of the North door. The North and South doors are in the same style and manner as the great one. The pillars are now plain, but have most probably been carved. Three of the capitals on one side the North door are like D, and three like or nearly so to E. The resemblance of the capital D to the Corinthian is very striking. It is impossible to make out any connected story from the reliefs on the pillars, if any was intended.

The capitals to the South door are all in the style of C, with some little variation.

The supposition of statues having been placed on each side the great door, as Mr. Essex thought, is inconceivable.

To what height the steeples were carried is not known; but from a sort of groove on the turrets of the South steeple, and the situation of the old timber work for the bells within, they were not much if any higher. These grooves, by their slanting direction, seem to indicate that the steeples were covered by a pyramid whose base was equal to the whole side of the steeple, and these grooves are necessarily cut to receive the lead where the turrets intercepted the pyramid; for supposing the pyramid or spire made with timber, and covered with lead, the turrets would of course be finished in the same manner. This, it is believed, was the Norman way of finishing their towers. Southwell is in this manner now; and if Lincoln was built after the model of the church at Aix la Chapelle (a representation of which appears on a seal), it will favour this supposition.