The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1881-07-25
Westminster Abbey.
The Upper Chambers and Their Curious
Contents.
saturday Review.1

stairs. One OF theSe opens on the east aisle OIL
the cloister, close to the entrance of the Chap
ter-house. When the ancient church of the
Confessor was superseded by the more magnifi-
cent building of Henry I'LL, 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 de-
frauded of its full proportions The cloister is
much lower than the aisle would have been in
its place, and over it is the imminent 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 pavement and look
around, we are surprised to observe 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 vastness of a building than to see the
greatness of its minor parts. The pavement,
which only dates from the time OF Wren, be-
comes more irregular as we turn into the trifo-
rum Of the nave. 1t conceals the "pockets"
of the vaulting receptacles probably filed with
fragments of the statues and affairs displaced
at the Reformation. AT the further end, in the
south tower over the Abbot's Chapel or baptis-
terry, the floor was of wood. On its being re-
moved, the remains of Torregiano's images in
terra Gotta. for the decoration of the altar in
Henry Wills chapel, were found. They indi-
cate rather than prove the magnifcence of the
whole structure, but are broken into such mi
mute pieces that the united efforts of several
tiquaries have so far failed to make up single
complete figure. Among them is the "torso"
of splendidly modelled statue of the dead Saw
iour, 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 Har-
low, who deserves to go down to posterity with
Erostratus and Lloyd. Some portions. identi-
fed at Oxford among the Arundel marbles by
Mr.. Middleton, have been recently restored to
their Places but it is to be feared that the terra
Gotta fragments in the trifOlium are beyond re-
pair. The chamber over the vaultng of the
Abbot's Chapel, in which they were found,
was that occupied, it is said, by Bradshaw,
President of the High Court of Justice which
condemned Charles l. The Deanery with
which by a separate staircase this part of the
triforium communicates, was granted to Brad
shaw, who died in it in 1862 Constant tradi-
tion AYERS that he actually died in this very
room, q room which was, at some period, used
as a lodging, for it contains fireplace of Late
Perpendicular work. Hence, along the trifo-
rum his restless spirit walks on the nights of
the 30th of January and the 22d of November;
and in truth a more ghostly looking corner
tie cherubs peep out here and there from be-
hind the marble pancakes removed from the
monument below of Admiral Tyrrell Close by
are two wooden obelisks, removed in ITS from
the entrance to the choir. where, according to
Darts view, they stood on the summir of a
pair of tall classical gateposts. A label on one
of them attributes the carving to Gibbons, but
this ascription is more than doubtful.
In those parts of the triforium which are
over the apsidal chapels some curious collec-
tions have been formed. A buttress of Henry
VII s chapel long concealed a window here,
and in it have been found some panels of the
original glazing of the thirteenth century, be-
ing among the most ancient and complete ex-
amples of the kind left They are very differ
ent from most of the modern glass. The delica-
cy of the design, the moderation in the use of
color, and 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 CHASTITY cast
in white plaster of the leaden coins of Henry,
Prince of Wales, the eldest son of James L. In
a third are the remains of the pulpit which
used to stand in the nave, with its sounding
board and some exquisite carving. Further
on are the very similar panels of carving which
adorned the organ pipes, and some portions of
marble statues and tablets. One of these last
seems never to have been put up. Perhaps
the fees were refused. On the beams above
are placed in two long rows the helmets used
at various times in the heraldic decoration of
funerals. There are probably as many as 70
of them, but not one of any great value or
beauty. Among, other relics are two marble
slabs long packed up in a box. They are beau
tifully carved in the Italian style which Hor-
ace Walpole admired 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 decora-
ton of Protestant church, and so tradition or
some wiseacre assigns them to DESTROYED
or unfinished monument of Anne of Cleves.
But glance at what does remain of her tomb
in the choir below is sufficient to set that part
of the question at rest Near the marbles is
relic both of more interest and of less doubtful
anteeedents. Bundled up in two or three fag-
gots are the venerable railings 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 a kind of restoration
which consists of the evolution from their own
inner consciousness of a conception of what
thing ought to have been, and are apt to neg
lect such piece of evidence as this as to what
it was With regard to these railings, how
ever, there is not any manner of doubt whatso-
ever, for they are figured by Dart in their prop
er place. Dean Stanley tells us that in 1864
the mob broke in during the funeral of Pulte-
nay, Earl of Bath, and that the gentlemen
who attended his body to the tomb in the Islip
Chapel, opposite, tore down the canopy of Ed
wards ,omb, and defended themselves with
"rhe L. oken rafters." 1t may be so; but these
iron 81 ars, each tipped with its feur-de-lis,
would iorm much more obviously appropriate
weapo ) on such an occasion. The "wooden
hatch ut up by Freckenham at the head of
the sta rs" has been restored, but not the beau
tiful rails. From the northern side of the tri-
forum fine view is obtained into the Poets
Corner and the munimelt room, with its great
chests and Golfers, enormously described by
Scott as being in the triforium ITSELF But in
the upper story is a quadrant shaped cope
chest and other vast chests for vestments, in
teresting in themselves, but not so splendidly
locked and barred and clasped as the boxes in
the imminent room below
Another interesting place up stairs is the
chantry or Chapel of Henry V. 1t is kind of
gallery over the headless effigy so familiar at
the end of the Confessor's Chapel. We are ac-
customed to admire the swans and antelopes
and the curious scenes from the Kings life
which are carved on the high screen under
which we pass on the way to the Chapel of
Henry VII, without remembering that it con-
ceals one of the most elaborate little buildings
of that age now remaining. 1t is raised so
high that people far down in the nave must
have been able to see the daily elevation of
the host, and with certain felicity, leading
as it does to the Lady Chapel Was dedicated
to the Annunciation. Some ingenious person
has discovered that the western side of the
screen, with its tall staircase towers, forms the
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