The plan of our old cathedral churches is invariably that of a Latin Cross, having the leave in the longest arm, the transepts in the two cross arms, and the choir. comheri.jootr the renniiiiin length of the oluirch, to the east of th' nave; the English always placing their altar at the east end, yehliep Was more frequently than either circular or Inuit:angula•, as in the continental churches. Not unusually the plan Was extended further eastward, toprovide tier an additional chapel, dedicated tee our Ladve. and _.,ollietirtees, though wined] less frequentl \-, a similar, but smaller projection, was added at the West end : this was the Galilee learn from C. e r v ase. Peony the passage of Scrifeii».e—' Ile goeth befl/re von into (Ialilve, there y e shall see hint:— the place where the monks were al lowed to see their female relatives; here was also the station catechumens, and the lereyions to their he sonic inStali•es we find a double transept. east :tin; west of as at Canterbury: the additional anti is accolinted tier sVnibolically as repree!iting the inse•iption placed above the head of our I.Orcl at his crucifixion, the lower symluiliz_ in! the CrO,S-piece on Willi It ' arms were extended. It is noticed in some cathedrals that the eastern extremity is not in the same line with the nave, but bent on one side. as it were; this is explained in a similar manner as marking the inclination of the heath of our Lord while on the cross, At the west end of the nave, ou each side of it, were situated the towers, and another at the intersection of the nave and tran septs. all of which were in some eases surmounted with spires ; sometimes this addition was restricted to the western towers, but it is frequently omitted altogether, when the towers are usualll carried to a greater elevation. At Exeter, we meet the towers forming the transept. and at Peterborough with one at the northern extremity of the west transept. Internallv the nave and choir are divided into three aisles, the central one carried up above the others. This tripartite division is seldom carried out in the transepts, in which, however. we siimetimcs find one aisle as at I himm, and sometimes two as at Westminster and Bristol. The aisles are separated from the Lolly of the church by an arcade, immediately above which the vaulting commences; in bode, however, between the arcade and vaulting. arc inte• posed two stories, the lower time consisting or a gallery called triforia, opening into the nave and choir by means ()fa small to have been appropriated to therms; amid the upper. termed the in which were placed the window s li,r lighting- the central avenue of the church. In I;atli Cathedral, the triforia are omitted, and their place supplied by a string-course.
Au approximation to the proportions of the different mea surements of cathedral churches isgiven as fitllo rs : —The height is grucrally empial to the breadth of and aisles; the cross, in which the transepts and intermediate space are contained. is extended half the length of tabrie, as is likew ise the nave; the side-aisles equal halt' the lumen It h and height of the nave, nail the spires and have :t mean proportion between the length of the nave and that of the transept.
The description will give a general idea of the con Stroction of our ,athedrai, : but from the exceptions already !naked. it \illl be understood that no rule applies invariably to all buildings of the kind ; tin• although the plans are in all cases similar, and the arrangement ot' the part; of the edifice systematic. yet we find not one cathedral in any respect a
of :mother.
now to give some account of the edifices of this rank preserved the present day, of which we have '21 in England, and 4 in Wales. There were also 1:; in Scotland, and in Ireland. In addition to the num• her already mentioned. we have in England one modern cathedral, Saint Paul's. London ; besides which the collegiate church at Alanchester hats recently been elevated to the dignity of a bishop's see; but as the latter was never con solicited for such a purpose. we do not think it can be correctly included with the others as an architectural example.
The following, is an account of the erection of cathedral churches in England, and additions made to theta, arranged in chronologieal Mier To period of the Atiglo-Normans, or between 1066 and 1170, including the reigns of William I. and 11., lenry 1., Stephen. and the tirst sixteen years of Henry 11., we may attribute, the western front and nave of Rochester cathedral ; the nave, north aisle, and the chapels round the •hoir of that at Gione,..ster ; the original substructure of Exeter cathedral. with its transepts and towers ; the central tower and transept of Winton cathedral ; the nave of that at Chichester ; the north transept of that at Ely ; the choir of Peterborough cathedral ; the oldest part of the We gait hoot alld central tower of that at Lincoln ; the ventral church of Durham, excepting the additional transept on the cast ; the nave and tower of Norwich ; and many arches of \Vro•cester cathedral.
In the period between and 1'2'20, including the latter part of the reign of Ilenry II., and the reigns of Richard I. and John, the older Ladye chapel and chapter-honse of Bris tol were erected ; as were likewise the choir and round tower (called Bu'cket's Crown) at Canterbury ; the nave and chapter-house at Oxfbrd ; the time and choir of Norwich cathedral ; the western towers at Ely : the transem is of Peterborough ; the presbytery, ( hichester ; the transept, tower, and choir of that at I lereford ; the nave and choir of Wells cathedral (begun) ; and the chapte•-house of Iliester.
In the period between 1'2'20 and 1:100, in eluding the reigns of Henry III, and part of Edward I„ were the nave and arches beyond the transept of Lincoln cathe dral; the north and south transepts of York minster; the choir and transept, Rochester ; an additional transept to the cathedral of Durham ; the tower and whole western front of that of' Wells; the choir at Carlisle; the presbytery and south transept at Ely ; the transept and choir at Wore( stet ; and the whole of Salisbury cathedral.
In tilt. period between 1:100 and 1400, including the latter part of the reign of Edward I, and the reigns of Edward II. and III. and Richard II., the nave and choir of Exeter cathedral' were erected ; and that at Lieldiold was !milt uniformly; additions were made to dle (Tiara] tower at 1.111 the nave of Worcester cathedral was built. as were the nave. choir. and western front of York minster ; also the transepts at Canterbury and Gloneester ; the spire and towe• at Norwich : the spire and additions to Salisbury cathedral ; the cloisters were begun at (floneester: the nave and choir were erected at Bristol, as well as the spite and choir at Chichester; our I.ady's chapel at Ely ; and the chapter house and cloisters (now destroyed) at Hereford.