lt,
though their bold outline remains the same. The windows in the
clerestory tell the tale of a later time, probably that of Abbot
Morwent.

The #West Front.#--Compared with many others of our cathedral fronts,
this front may seem to be of less interest, but it has the great beauty
of simplicity, which prevents it, when viewed in the foreground, from
killing the rest of the picture. The buttresses of the great window are
ingeniously pierced, so as not to cut off the light; and the parapets,
also of pierced or open work, should be carefully noted.

Plain transoms cross the lights, whereas in the inside the tracery and
cusping is elaborate. This will be noted also in the east window of the
choir and elsewhere.

Of the western towers which formerly existed no traces now remain. The
north-west tower, owing to badly-made foundations, collapsed in the
latter half of the twelfth century between 1163-1179.

A south-west tower was begun in 1242 by Walter de St. John, Prior at the
time, and subsequently Abbot for a few weeks, and it was finished by his
successor, John de la Feld.

When Abbot Morwent altered the west end and front, the western towers
disappeared altogether. This front was restored carefully, where
necessary, in 1874.

The #South Porch.#--This portion of the building is the work of Morwent,
who was Abbot from 1421-1437. The rich front of what Bonner called
"Saracenic work," was formerly disfigured by an uninteresting dial with
the motto _Pereunt et imputantur_. This was removed at the Restoration,
when the canopies were restored, and niches filled with statues by
Redfern. Over the doorway in the centre, stand St. Peter and St. Paul,
and the four Evangelists. Below are King Osric and Abbot Serlo, the two
founders of the Abbey Church. The four figures in the niches of the
buttresses represent St. Jerome, St. Ambrose, St. Augustine, and St.
Gregory. The windows of the porch have been formed by piercing the
internal tracery. This has a very curious effect when viewed from the
inside. From the outside the windows do not seem unusual.

[Illustration: The Tower from the Palace-yards Drawn by E. J. Burrow.]

#The Porch# was in such a very ruinous state, that it was scarcely
possible to use any of the old stone on the outside. Within, the old
work can be seen, and the bosses are worthy of attention. Over the porch
is an unfinished parvise. The doors are very good specimens of
fifteenth-century work.

The #South