1620
THEORY AND PRACTICE OF ENGINEERING.
Book II.
£
its many moulded arches yielding to astyle that combined greater simplicitywith a more thorough knowledge of con-struction, which will be evident upon anexamination of St. Stephen’s Chapel, West-minster, (now destroyed,) begun in 1348,the nave of Canterbury and WinchesterCathedrals, and several others. In theseexamples we have elegantly formed archesresting on well-proportioned piers, the. mouldings of which so combine that theyform a perfect figure, and show that thepoints of support were designed to carryall that is placed above them; the samecontour of moulding that surrounds thepier performs its useful part in the upperportions of the building, constituting oneentire whole. This style, simple as wellas elegant, was executed by masons fullyqualified to advance it to the greatest per-fection, and deserves both our study andadmiration.
Canterbury Cathedral exhibits everyvariety of style found in mediaevalarchitecture; its history has beenpublished by Mr. Britton: to thatwork, to which the writer contributedsome measurements in 1820, he mustrefer for a detailed and elaborateaccount of the several changes madein the decoration of the edifice.
It is only to the pillars of the navewe are desirous of drawing the at-
tention, and that merely to show their ^-
simple form, and the manner of settingthem out: four squares are so placed thattheir diagonals and sides are united in+he centre, thus con-stituting a formcapable of the great-est resistance at thefour points of the en-tire pier, where theseveral thrusts andpressures are re-ceived : the O Gmouldings of thepiers run round thearches, whilst the co-lumnar mouldingstowards the aisle andnave support the ribsof their respectivevaults. Greater sim-plicity can hardly beobtained, and everyline and indentationof the plan has its useand appropriation:there is no profusion,or member for thesole purpose of deco-ration; in this ar-rangement we havethe commencement ofgood taste, and theindication of a moreharmonious and per-fect style.
/
/
/
/
/
\
r
1 ^
\yh/
Fig. 3033.
ST. OUEN AT ROUEN.