The Principles of Gothic Ecclesiastical Architecture, Elucidated by Question and Answer, 4th ed | Page 8

God, was rebuilt in the thirteenth century, but, to all
appearance, with the same materials of which the original church was
constructed.

Q. Do any of our churches bear a resemblance to Roman buildings?
A. The church now in ruins within the precincts of the Castle of Dover
presents features of early work approximating Roman, as a portal and
window-arches formed of brickwork, which seem to have been copied
from those in the Roman tower near adjoining; the walls also have
much of Roman brick worked up into them, but have no such regular
horizontal layers as Roman masonry displays. The most ancient
portions of this church are attributed to belong to the middle of the
seventh century. The church of Brixworth, Northamptonshire, is
perhaps the most complete specimen we have existing of an early
Anglo-Saxon church: it has had side aisles separated from the nave by
semicircular arches constructed of Roman bricks, with wide joints;
these arches spring from square and plain massive piers. There is also
fair recorded evidence to support the inference that this church is a
structure of the latter part of the seventh century. Roman bricks are
worked up in the walls, in no regular order, however, but
indiscriminately, as in the church at Dover Castle.
[Illustration: Pilaster Rib-work Arch, Brigstock Church.]
Q. What peculiarities are observable in masonry of Anglo-Saxon
construction?
A. From existing vestiges of churches of presumed Anglo-Saxon
construction it appears that the walls were chiefly formed of rubble or
rag-stone, covered on the exterior with stucco or plaster, with long and
short blocks of ashlar or hewn stone, disposed at the angles in alternate
courses. We also find, projecting a few inches from the surface of the
wall, and running up vertically, narrow ribs or square-edged strips of
stone, bearing from their position a rude similarity to pilasters; and
these strips are generally composed of long and short pieces of stone
placed alternately. A plain string course of the same description of
square-edged rib or strip-work often runs horizontally along the walls
of Anglo-Saxon remains, and the vertical ribs are sometimes set upon
such as a basement, and sometimes finish under such.
Q. What churches exhibit projecting strips of stonework thus disposed?

A. The towers of the churches of Earls Barton and Barnack,
Northamptonshire, and the tower of one of the churches at
Barton-upon-Humber, Lincolnshire, are covered with these narrow
projecting strips of stonework, in such a manner that the surface of the
wall appears divided into rudely formed panels; the like disposition of
rib-work appears, though not to so great extent, on the face of the upper
part of the tower of Stowe Church, Northamptonshire, of St. Benedict's
Church, Cambridge, on the walls of the church of Worth, in Sussex, on
the upper part of the walls of the chancel of Repton Church, Derbyshire,
and on the walls of the nave and north transept of Stanton Lacey
Church, Salop.
[Illustration: Anglo-Saxon Masonry, Long and Short Work.
Burcombe, Wilts. Wittering, Northamptonshire.]
Q. Where do we meet with instances where long and short blocks of
ashlar masonry are disposed in alternate courses at the angles of walls?
A. Such occur at the angles of the chancel of North Burcombe Church,
Wiltshire; at the angles of the nave and chancel of Wittering Church,
Northamptonshire; at the angles of the towers of St. Benedict's Church,
Cambridge, of Sompting Church, Sussex, and of St. Michael's Church,
Oxford, and in other Anglo-Saxon remains. The ashlar masonry
forming the angles is not, however, invariably thus disposed.
Q. How are the doorways of this style distinguished?
A. They are either semicircular, or triangular-arched headed, but the
former are more common. In those, apparently the most ancient, the
voussoirs or arched heads are faced with large flat bricks or tiles,
closely resembling Roman work. Doorways of this description are to be
met with in the old church, Dover Castle; in the church of Brixworth,
Northamptonshire; and on the south side of Brytford Church, Wiltshire.
The doorway, however, we most frequently meet with in Anglo-Saxon
remains, is of simple yet peculiar construction, semicircular-headed,
and formed entirely of stone, without any admixture of brick; the jambs
are square-edged, and are sometimes but not always composed of two

long blocks placed upright, with a short block between them; the
arched head of the doorway is plain, and springs from square projecting
impost blocks, the under edges of which are sometimes bevelled and
sometimes left square. This doorway is contained within a kind of arch
of rib-work, projecting from the face of the wall, with strips of pilaster
rib-work continued down to the ground; sometimes this arch springs
from plain block imposts, or from strips of square-edged rib-work
disposed horizontally, and the jambs are occasionally constructed of
long and short work.
[Illustration: Anglo-Saxon Doorway, St. Peter's