Bells Cathedrals: A Short Account of Romsey Abbey | Page 5

nave and choir of the existing church. The
building of this new parish church unfortunately involved the
destruction of the north porch of the abbey church. When, after the
dissolution of the nunnery, the people bought the abbey church of the
King, the nave and north aisle of the new parish church were no longer
needed, and were therefore demolished, the windows were inserted in
the arches that had been cut in the wall of the north aisle of the abbey
church, when these openings were again walled up. Two of these have,
however, been removed, and modern Norman windows constructed on
the old mouldings have taken their place. A doorway which had been
cut in the north wall of the transept when the new parish church was
built was no longer used after the church was pulled down, and a low
side window near it has been blocked up and converted into a cupboard.
The two eastern chapels were also demolished, and their east windows
were inserted in the masonry used to block up the entrances into the
chapels from the ambulatory. During the time that succeeded the
Reformation many changes were made in the fittings of the church,
galleries were erected in the transept and at the west end of the nave
where the organ was placed. The walls were covered with whitewash,
and probably with a view to make it easier to warm the church, walls
were built behind the triforium arcading all round the church. These
walls are shown in some of the illustrations made a few years ago; they
have now been entirely removed. The internal appearance of the church
about the middle of the nineteenth century was extremely distasteful to

those affected by the Gothic revival, and drastic changes were made.
"Restoration" was begun at first under the direction of Mr. Ferrey, who
also restored Christchurch Priory. The inner roof of the three western
bays of the nave aisles which had not been, like those of the other bays,
vaulted in stone, were restored in wood and plaster about 1850, when
the Hon. Gerard Noel was vicar; the nave roof was rebuilt a little later.
Under the direction of Mr. Christian, architect to the Ecclesiastical
Commissioners, the chancel roof was restored, and the roof of the north
arm of the transept was taken in hand by Mr. Berthon. Other work has
been done more recently, and the present vicar has the intention of
building a porch with a room over it on the north side, to take the place
of the porch which was destroyed when the nave of the church of St.
Laurence was built in the time of William of Wykeham, as already
described.
The curious wooden erection on the top of the tower, somewhat
resembling a hen coop or gigantic lobster pot, was added in
comparatively recent times to contain the bells; drawings made at the
beginning of the nineteenth century do not show it, but, those made
about the middle of the century do. It is ugly, and adds nothing to the
dignity of the church; probably the tower was originally crowned by a
pyramidal roof which gave it the appearance of height so much
required.
The east ends of the two choir aisles have in quite recent years been
provided with altars and fitted up as chapels for week-day services. The
two apsidal chapels attached to the transept are used as vestries, the one
on the south for clergy and that on the north for the choir.
[Illustration: THE ABBESS'S DOOR]
CHAPTER II
THE EXTERIOR
The site of Romsey abbey church is not a commanding one. There are
some cathedral churches, such as Ely, built on marsh-formed islands
which rise considerably above the surrounding flats, and so form

conspicuous objects in the landscape seen from far or near; but this is
not the case with the abbey church with which we have to deal. The
level of its floor does not rise much above the level of the river valley
in which it stands, the building is not large or lofty, the parapets of its
central tower, about 92 ft. above the ground, rise little above the ridges
of the roofs of nave and choir and the north arm of the transept. But it
has one great advantage: there is no part of the exterior of the building
that cannot be fully examined. Perhaps we might be glad if the space
from which it may be seen were here and there a little wider, yet
nowhere do we find a garden wall or a building barring our passage as
we make the circuit of the exterior of the church. On the north side lies
the churchyard stretching a considerable distance to the north, from
which an admirable general view is obtained;