The Democratic advocate., 1881-08-13
1estriptiue Artirles.
IN WESTMINSTER ABBEY.
The Upper Chambers and their Curious
Contents.


aisle Of the cloister, close to the entrance
of the Chapter House. " hen the ancient
church of the Confessor was superseded
by the more magnificent building of Henry
III, the cloisters, though they abutted on
the new ground plan Of the western aisle
of the south transept, were not removed,
and the Poets Corner is thus defrauded
of its full proportions The cloister is
much lower than the aisle would have
been in its place, and over it is the muni-
ment room, With Its iron-bound Golfers.
The triforium IS another flight above and
the winding stair is steep, Slippery and
dark When. at length we stand on the
red brick payement and look around, we
are surprised to observe the great size of
sthe chamber which intervenes between the
top Of the vaultipg below and the timbers
at khe roof aboyes Nothing sigesa bet
ter idea Of the yastness of building than
to see the greatness of its minor parts
The pavement, which only dates from the
time of Wren, becomes more irregular as
We turn into the triforium of the nave. 1t
eonceals the 'pockets" of the vaulting, re-
ceptacles probably filled with fragments of
the statues and affairs displaced at the Re
formation. At the further end, in the
south tower, over the Abbot's Chapel or
baptistery, the floor was of wood. On its
being removed, the remains of Torregi-
ano' s images in terra Gotta, for the deeora-
tion of the altar in Henry Wis chapel,
we're found. They indicate rather than
prove the magnifcence of the whole struc.
ture, but are broken into such minute
pieces that the united efforts of several an
tiquaries have so far failed TO make up a
single complete figure. Among them is
the "torso" of splendidly modelled statue
of the dead Saviour, and beautiful are the
feet of the angels Of the canopy. This
altar, which was engraved by Sandford as
the monument Of Edward VI, was destroy
ed in 1913 by one Sir Robert Harlow, who
deserves to go down to posterity with
Erostratus and Lloyd. Some portions,
identified at Oxford among the Arundel
marbles by Mr.. Middleton, have been re-
Gently restored to their place, but it is to
be feared that the terra Gotta fragments in
the iriforium are beyond repair. The
chamber over the vaulting of the Abbot's
Chapel, in which they were found, was that
occupied, it is said, by Bradshaw, Presi-
dent Of the High Court Of Justice which
condemned Charles |. The Deanery, with
which BY separate staircase this part of
the triforium communicates, was granted
to Bradshaw, who died in it in 1859.
Constant tradition AYERS that he actually
died in this very room, room which GER
,ainly was at some period used as lodging,
for il contains fireplace Of Late Perpen-
dieular work. Hence, along the triforium
his restless spirit walks on the nights of
the 30th Of January and the 22d of No
yember, and in truth more ghastly look
ing corner than this it would be difficult
to imagine Little eherubs peep out here
and there from behind the marble pan
cakes removed from the monument below
Of Admiral Tyrrell Close BY are two
wooden obelisks, removed in 1875 from
the entrance TO the choir, where, according
TO Darts view, they stood on the summit
of tall, classical gateposts. A label on one
Of them attributes the carving to Gibbons,
but this ascription IS more than doubtful
THIRTEENTH CENTURY GLAZING.
In those parts Of the triforium which are
over the apsidal ehapels some curious col
lee,ions have been formed. A buttress of
Henry Wis chapel long concealed win
dow here, and in it have been found some
panels Of the original glazing Of the thir
teeuth century, being among the most an
eient and complete examples of the kind
left. They are very different from most
Of the modern glass. The delieacy of the
design, the moderation in the use of color,
aud the evident desire to admit as much
light as possible, are all qualities which our
glass painters, with few exceptions, do
not care to seek after. In another recess
is a ghaisly cast in white plaster of the
leaden coffin Of Henry, Prince Of Wales,
the eldest son of james l. In a third are
the remains of the old pulpit which used
to stand in the nave, with its sounding
board and some exquisite carving. Fur
ther on are the very similar pauels of car
wing which adorned the organ pines, aud
some portions of marble statues and tab
lets. One Of these last seems never to
have been put up. Perhaps the fees were
refused. On the beams above are placed
10 two long rows the helmets used at va
rious times in the heraldic decoration of
funerals. There are probably as many as
20 of them, but not one of any great value
or beauty. Among other relics are two
marble slabs, long packed up in box.
They are beautifully carved in the late
Italian style, which Horace Walpole ad
mired so much, and are clearly Of his time
or very little earlier. On one is the head
of St. Mary the Virgin, and on the other
that of the Saviour There are many
points about them unsuitable for the dec
Grafton of Protestant Church, and so ira
dition or some wiseacre assigns them to
destroyed or unfinished monument of Anne
of Cleyes. But glance at what does re-
main of her tomb in the choir below is
sufficient to set that part of the question
at rest. Near the marbles is a relic both
of more interest aud Of less doubtful ante
cedents. Bundled up in two or three
fagots are the venerable ratings of the
tomb of Edward l. How it comes to pass
that in this "restoring" age they are not
set up again in their proper place it would
be hard to say. But architects are fond
of kind of restoration which consists of
the evolution from their own inner con-
seriousness of conception of what thing
ought to have been, and are apt to neglect
such piece of evidence as this as to what
it was. With regard to these railings,
however, there is not any manner of doubt,
whatsoever, for they are figured by Dart in
their proper place. Dean Stanley tells US
that in 1864 the mob broke in during the
funeral of Pulteney, Earl of Bath, and that
the gentlemen who attended his body to
the tomb in the Islip Chapel, opposite,
tore down the canopy of Edwards tomb,
and defended themselves with "the broken
rafters" 1t may be so, but these iron
spears, each tipped With its leur-de-lis,
would form much more obviously appro-
pirate weapons on such an occasion. The
''wooden hatch put up by Feckenham at
the head of the stair" has been restored,
but not the beautiful rails. From the
northern side of the triforium fine view
is obtained into the Poets Corner and the
imminent room, with its great chests and
Golfers, enormously described by Scott as
49,. - H. -; E1ri,r, itsalf 2ut in fha