Page:Archaeological Journal, Volume 4.djvu/122

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106
ARCHITECTURAL NOTES IN THE

106 ARCHITECTURAL NOTES IN THE ings are numerous and much varied. There are some remains of painted glass in these windows, also of Decorated character. The church is dedicated to the Holy Trinity, but this chapel to St. Margaret. It appears that Hugh de Audley, earl of Gloucester, and Margaret his wife, were seized of the manor of Badgeworth, 21 Edw. IH.^ May we infer from the dedica- tion a probability that this Margaret was the foundi'ess, and so fix a pretty accurate date to this specimen of Decorated architecture ? There is some Decorated work, but of a much inferior character, in the rest of the church. The tower, which stands at the west end, is a fine one, with panelled battlements. Withington, about seven miles south-east of Cheltenham, has a church with a fine central tower and a south transept. Though it has no aisles, it has a clerestory range, evidently added, as well as the belfry story of the tower, in the fifteenth century, to a building of an earlier date. And it would appear that in this addition beauty was consulted rather than security, for a very short time ago, during the ringing of the bells, a considerable part of the facing of the north wall of the nave gave way. As there is no northern transept, it is probable that the abutment to the arches supporting the tower is hardly sufficient. The belfry story has a fine four- light Perpendicular window with a crocketed ogee canopy, and the corner pinnacles are very elegant. Those of the clere- story have a debased appearance, though the windows them- selves are of good Perpendicular work, and contain fragments of painted glass of Perpendicular character. The south door- way is Norman, though late ; it is richly ornamented with chevrons. These, in the outer and inner order, are parallel to the plane of the wall ; but the intermediate order is convex, and has the chevrons so disposed round it, as to form a range of diamonds facing diagonally ; each of these has a small knob in the centre. The chancel and lower part of the tower are transition from Norman to Early English, though with in- sertions. The western arch of the tower has Norman shafts in its impost, but is pointed, and the architrave, on its western face, is enriched with some bold convex mouldings. It may be remarked that the sui)crior enrichment of the western faces of transverse arches is a very general feature in this district. Atkyns' Gloucestershire.