THE ABBEY CHURCH OF DORCHESTER. 335 "built first, not that it formed part of quite another desiii;n. Such an addition to the choir as Mr. Jewitt imagines, wouhl surely be very anomalous. " Headington, Oxford, March 31, 1852. " Dear Sir, " My idea of the south aisle of Dorchester Church is, that the eastern portion, as far as where the vaulting shafts extend internally, is of an earlier date than the rest of the choir aisle, and of the same date as the south-west angle of the nave aisle, both being but little later than the north aisle. I write only from memory, hut will, as briefly as possible, give you my reasons for thinking so.
- ' The windows at the east end of this aisle have Geometrical tracery
(though of rather later character than that of the north aisle windows), while those on the south side have Intersecting tracery. The angle stair- turret with its internal doorway, and the piscina, are of the same date, as are also the vaulting shafts, and the wall as far as the first buttress shown on the plan. This will be further proved by observing the different thickness of the wall in this part, and that this difference is exactly co-extensive with the remains of groining in the interior. There is likewise on this part a buttress which, though it ranges in its upper part exactly with the rest, does not, like the rest, reach the ground, and consequently does not appear in the plan. '* All these reasons induce me to think that this portion of the present aisle was either built, or intended to be built, as a chapel ; that it had its east end terminating in a gable, as the two square-headed windows above the others clearly point out ; that the chapel itself was groined ; and that the staircase led to an upper room which was appropriated to the officiating priest, and which the two square windows above-mentioned were intended to light. This was a not unusual arrangement, and the situation of the doorway between the altar and the piscina, seems to favour the idea of this being the use of the room. " I imagine that this design was afterwards abandoned or altered, and the chapel thrown into part of a new aisle, and in order to give an uniformity to it, the turret buttresses were copied, and one of the new windows (which have Intersecting tracery) inserted in the chapel, where probabl}^ a Geometrical window had formerly existed. " The beautiful buttress at the S. W. angle of the nave aisle, seems to have been begun at the same time as the chapel, though the nave aisle was not built until after the choir aisle was completed. " I have written the above hasty remarks at your request, but merely intend them as suggestions for your consideration. " I remain, Sir, yours sincerely, " 0. JEWITT." " E. A. Freeman, Esq."
