Bells Cathedrals: The Cathedral Church of Carlisle | Page 6

buttresses there is in each bay a window with a circular head, flanked
by single columns. A ring-like ornament is used as a decoration for one
of the mouldings of the arch.

These windows, except the one above the doorway, are restorations.
The doorway itself, which leads into the nave, is modern, imitated from
the Norman window.
The Clerestory in each compartment has a window which differs from
the aisle windows in having the billet as decoration of its outer
moulding. The string-course at the spring of the round head runs
without a break from one to the other.
There is also an unbroken corbel table above the windows, of very
expressive, life-like heads, no two of which are alike.
[Illustration: THE CATHEDRAL FROM THE NORTH. A. Pumphrey,
Photo.]
#North Transept.#--The north window is Debased Gothic, the tracery
of the previous window having been similar to that of the great east
window, while the west window is early English.
[Illustration: NORTH DOOR OF NAVE. A. Pumphrey, Photo.]
The #Tower#, the latest part of the cathedral, was the work of Bishop
Strickland early in the fifteenth century. He erected it upon the piers of
the ancient Norman tower. Its height is not much over 100 feet, and is
very disappointing, because in England "cathedral towers are apt to be
good, and really make their mark" (Pater). In fact, it does not at all
give the impression of being part of such an important building as a
cathedral. This is caused by its having been rebuilt on the scale of the
Norman nave, and not on that of the enlarged choir. It takes up only
about two-thirds of the width of the choir, and to mask this defect a
turret rising to the top of the third stage of the tower is introduced on
the north side, and another turret is added at the north-east angle.
The tower rises in four stages above the transepts. The second storey is
pierced with loopholes. The third has two pointed windows lighting a
room immediately below the belfry. Between these, in a niche with a
canopy, is the figure of an angel holding a drawn sword. On his head is
fixed a tablet to support another figure. There is only one window in

the fourth storey, which gives light to the belfry, and is very large. Its
labels are ornamented with very vigorously carved heads, and the
cornice above is decorated very much like that of the clerestory. The
tower terminates in an embattled parapet.
All the windows have been thrown out of centre by the addition of the
lower turret.
Originally the tower was crowned by a leaden spire about fifteen feet in
height, but this was removed at the end of the seventeenth century on
account of its decayed condition.
On the east side of the tower there is a single window in the third
storey. In place of a second window there is an opening into the roof of
the choir. This leads into a passage running from the tower to the east
end.
The bold attempts to veil the inadequate size of the tower by the
addition of two turrets can be best studied from this side.
The North Aisle of the #Choir# consists of eight bays, all Early English,
except the easternmost one (the retro-choir), which is Late Decorated;
while the western bay has a Perpendicular window.
Sometime in the fifteenth century the third bay from the east, in each
aisle, was altered and a large Perpendicular window inserted in order
to admit more light to the sanctuary. During the restoration of the
cathedral these later windows were removed, and replaced by careful
copies of the other Early English windows.
The basement is composed of bold mouldings with a plain wall
equivalent in height to the internal wall arcade. Over this, a
string-course runs uninterruptedly round the choir just below the
windows.
[Illustration: THE SOUTH DOOR. (See p. 21.) A. Pumphrey, Photo.]
Each compartment has an arcade of four lancet-shaped divisions, the

external ones blank; while the internal divisions (which are wider than
the others) form the window. The slender, banded, shafts are detached,
which is rather unusual, and have moulded bases and capitals. The
bands divide the shafts into unequal lengths, the lower portion being
the shorter. The arch mouldings are good. Owing to the fact that the
blank arches are more acutely pointed, their outer mouldings terminate
higher than the mouldings of the internal arches.
Towards the east end small heads, and bosses of foliage, ornament the
junction of these mouldings. Above these the cornice and parapet rest
upon blocks bearing the nail-head ornament.
[Illustration: ELEVATION OF EAST END.]
The second bay from the east is divided into three equal spaces, with a
very narrow acute angle on the right.
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