Chap. XXXI.
PRINCIPLES OF PROPORTION.
1601
The Saxon manner of Building -A division of the transept of the cathedral at Win-
chester has been selected as the best authenticated example of the style in use previous tothe Norman Conquest . In a paper read before the British Archaeological Association attheir second annual congress, held at Winchester in August, 1845, the author gave his
reasons for supposing it to be the work of St.its “ Transactions,” recently published.
Arches upon arches enabled the Saxons to continue their walls to a considerableheight, the openings between the piers beingproportioned as those of the Roman build-ings in the time of the emperors. Theplans of the piers differ from those ,pre-vious to the introduction of Christianity :in Britain both the Greek cross and thecircle are applied to them.
At Winchester Cathedral the columnsof the triforium recede within the pier, andare set round a circle, (fig. 2999.); thepassage in the walls of the clerestory isshown at the side; in another portion ofthe same building is a similar arrangementin less massive piers, (fig. 3000.)
The Saxon churches were generally di-vided into three tiers or stories, viz. alower arcade, a triforium, and clere-storyabove ; and such was the solidity and thick-ness of the walls, that buttresses were alto-gether omitted, the outer face of their build-ings in this particular bearing a closerresemblance to the Roman than the Nor-man , although the workmanship was rude,and the decoration scanty.
The proportions found in Saxon buildingsare the same as in the Roman, which,without doubt, they took for their models.The circular temple of the Pantheon atRome , 142 feet 6 inches diameter internally,and 183 feet 8 inches externally, containsthe proportions of two-fifths wall and three-fifths void; the area of the latter being15,948 superficial feet, and of the former26,493 superficial feet; the difference ofthese areas giving 10,545 feet for the areaof the walls.
We have already seen that in the Coli-seum at Rome the points of support areabout one-sixth of the entire area of theplan; and the proportions of both thesebuildings have been admired for nearly 2000years, the one vaulted, the other uncovered.
Generally the walls and piers of ourSaxon cathedrals occupy from one-third totwo-fifths of the entire area; in their sectionsone-third is devoted to walls and piers, andthe remainder divided between the nave andside aisles.
The division of the cathedral at Win-chester exhibits very perfectly theSaxon manner of building; the piers thatsupport the lower arches are 10 feet wide,and the clear openings between them 12 feet1 inch. The nave and transepts retaintheir original construction; in the formertinder the casing executed by William ofWykeham , and in the latter it is seen in itsfull purity. The choir stands over thecrypts built by St. Athelwold, and though
Athelwoid, for which the reader is referred to
J±::i