Of the exterior eleration.—The smaller churches present to its an elevation of only one story of rough walling, pierced at intervals with windows, which are usually filled with tracery ; those at the east and west ends, being of larger dimensions than those in the side walls. At the angles of the building. the outline is broken by massive projecting buttresses, and at other situations where they are required for the support of the building ; they are sometimes seen between every two windows. A more imposing projection is afforded by the porch on one side ; this is carried up nearly as high as the side walls, and is surmounted by a high-pitched gable roof; it is formed either of rubble, with or without a indows. or of wood, in which material we have many beautiful speciinens of the later styles pierced and carved in the most elaborate manner ; some of the plainer ones, how ever, form very picturesque additions to a small church.
The chancel, in most cases, is of smaller dimensions than the nave, both in width and height, and forms a picturesque break in the elevation ; but in some cases it is of the same size as the nave, and occasionally, though rarely, larger in both dimensions, showing a western wall bey mid the nave on all its sides. There is a priest's door in one side of the chancel, and sometimes a vestry. the form and eleva tion of which varies in different examples.
The whole of the building is covered by a high-pitched gable roof of lead, slate, or tile, and sometimes of shingles or thatch, the eaves projecting a little beyond the walls ; parapets are not found, except in lame churches. A very be addition is frequently to. e seen on the apex of the western gable, consisting either of a continuation of a part of the gable in a vertical direction, pierced with arched apertures to contain the bells, and finished with a gable top; or otherwise of a little turret of four or more sides, to be employed for the same purpose : the eastern gable is for the most part finished with an ornamental cross, lit the larger churches of three aisles, the elevation consists ino;,t, frequently of two stories, the lower one similar to that already described, and an upper one called the clerestory, which is carried up above the arches which separate the nave and aisles, and pierced with windows of a smaller deserip tion,sometimes with mere quatrefoils or other small apertures. In very large churches, the clerestory windows are often larger than those of the aisles. The nave is covered is before with a gable roof. but the aisles with a lean-to. sloping upwards from the exterior walls to the elere-story, with a much more gentle acclivity. In some three-aisled churches, where the width is not considerable, the gable roof spans both nave and aisles ; sometimes in one inclination, but at others, the incli nation over the aisles is considerably depressed; in such cases there is of course no clere-story. On the other hand, when a church is of a great width, especially when the additional width is in the aisles, we have three gable roofs, one over the nave, and a similar one over each aisle ; the gable ends of' such churches have a very pleasing appearance; they have no elere-story, and the chancel is mostly but a continuation of the nave ; not unfrequently the aisles are continued the whole length of the building in such churches.
In cruciform churches, the elevation, with the exception of such differences as the plan necessitates, is for the most part similar to that of the more common forms.
0/' the tower.—A beautiful appendage to a church is the tower, nor is it added merely for effect ; its prineipal object is perhaps to contain the bells, whi•h require to be suspended at a considerable height, in order that they may be heard at a distance ; another end which it serves, is to point out the situation of the sacred building, and, as some suppose, to act as a beacon or landmark fin• the guidance of travellers: an instance of a tower serving this purpose. may be pointed out, at Boston. Lincolnshire, as also at I hual•y. near Bristol. at both of w hie IW the towers are raised to an extraordinary height. The tower is very generally surmounted by a spire, which serves as a most efficient covering, while at the same time it gives additional height, and forms a beautiful finish as it does, in silence heavenward." It is remarked that spires are not so frequent in elevated situations, or in level tracts of land, as they are in valleys and in wooded country ; which fact would seem to imply that they were added more especially for pointing out the spot occupied by the house of prayer.
The situation of the tower with respect to the church is various; sometimes we see it at .the end, sometimes in the middle of an aisle, frequently at the west end of the nave, and occasionally between nave and chancel ; in short. almost in every situation, except at the eastern extremity of the chancel. Its plan is usually square, thought occasionally we find it octagonal, and even circular, and sometimes square at the lower part. but finished off at the top in an octagonal Lorna ; nW elevation, the outline is broken by buttresses pro je•ting considerably at each angle, and, where there is no spire. is frequently found a stair turret running up in the Corner next the church, and continued some little distance above the parapet. The base or lower story of the tower is usually plain and massive, but the upper portion is of a more elaborate appearance, being pierced with windows, the heads filled with a ravery, and the lower 'karts with lollV1'12 boarding. When there is no spire, the tower is finished with a parapet, battlemented or otherwise; and in later examples, the parapet is not omitted. even when there is a spire, and is sometimes enriched by continuing the buttresses above the tower, in the shape of pinnacles. During the earlier periods of English architecture, the spires sprang direct from the eaves of the tower, withont the intervention of a parapet.