Middletown transcript., 1881-08-26
m WESTMINSTER ABBEY.
THE UPPER CHAMBERS AND THEIR
CURIOUS CONTENTS.

The ascent is made by.various flights
of stairs. One of these opens ON the
east aisle of the cloister, close to the
entrance of the Chapter House. When
the ancient church of the Confessor
was superseded by the more magnifi-
cent building of Henry III, the clois-
tiers, 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
muniment room, with its iron-bound
Golfers. The triforium is another fight
above and the winding stair is steep,
slippery and dark. When at last we
stand on the red brick pavement and
look around, we are surprised to OBJ
serve the great size of the chamber
which intervenes between the top of
the vaulting below and the timbers of
the roof above Nothing gives better
idea Of the Yastness of a building than
to see the greatness of its minor parts.
The pavement, which only dates from
the time of Wren, becomes more irreg-
ular as we turn into the triforium of
the nave. 1t conceals the pockets"
of the vaulting, receptacles probably
filled with fragments of the statues and
altars displaced at the Reformation.
At the further end, in the south tower,
over the AbbOt's Chapel or baptisery,
the floor was of wood. On its being
removed, the remains of Terragiano's
images in terra Gotta, for the decora-
tion Of the altar in Henry WIS chapel,
were found They indicate rather
than prove the magnificence of the
whole structure, but are broken into
such minute pieces that the united
efforts Of several antiquaries have so
far failed to make up a single complete
figure Among them is the torso"
Of a 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
destroyed in 1643 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 recently restored |
to their place, but it is to be feared that |
the terra Gotta fragments in the trifo-
rum are beyond repair. The chamber
over the vaulting of the Abbot's Chap
el, in which they were found, was that
occupied, it is said, by Bradshaw, Pres
ident of the High Court of Justice
which condemed Charles |. The dean
cry, with which by seperate staircase
this part of the triforium commune
Gates, was granted to Bradshaw, who
died in it in 1863. Constant tradition
AYERS that he actually died in this very
room, room which certainly was at
some period used as a lodging, for it
contains a fireplace Of Late Perpendic-
ular work. Hence, along the triforium
his restless spirit walks on the nights
of the Both of January and the 22d of
and in truth more ghastly
looking corner than this it would be
difficult to imagine. Little cherubs
peep out here and there from behind
the marble pancakes removed from the
below of Admiral Tyrrell
Close by are two wooden obelisks, re-
moved in 1775 from the entrance to the
choir, where, according to Darts view,
hey stood on the summit of tall, class
cal gatepOsts. A label on one of them
attributes the carving to Gibbons, but
his ascription is more than doubtful. j
In those parts of the triforium which {
ire over the apsidal chapels some curl !
1us collections have been formed. A !
outtress of Henry Wis chapel long :
window here, and in it have {
leen found some panels of the original ]
glazing of the thirteenth century, being |
amOng the most ancient and complete {
of the kind left. They are {
very different from the modern glass.
Ihe delicacy of the design, the moder-
ltiOn in the use of color, and the evil
lent desire to admit as much light as
possible, are all qualities which our
glass painters, with few exceptions.
10 not care to seek after. In another
recess is a CHASTITY cast in white plaster !
If the leaden coffin of Henry, Prince of ,
Wales, the eldest son of James /. Ina
.hird, are the remains of the old pulpit
which used to stand in the nave. with
is sounding board and some exquisite
arriving. Further on are the very SINH
ar panels of carving which adorned
he organ pipes, and some portions of
marble statues and tablets. One of
hese last seems never to have been put
lp Perhaps the fees were refused !,
On the beams above are placed in two
ong rows the helmets used at various :
lines in the heraldic decoration of :,
There are probably as manv
IS 20 of them, but not one of any great !,
'alue or beauty. Among other relies :,
re two marble slabs, long packed up :
n box. They are beautifully carved
n the late Italian style, which Horace !,
Valpole admired so much, and are :.
learly of his time or very LITTLE :
arlier. On one is the head of st. Mary :
he Virgin, and on the other that of the .
saviour. There are many points about :,
hem unsuitable for the decoration of a =
Protestant Church, and so tradition or
ONE wiseacre assigns them to a de- "
troyed or unfinished monument of