se in 1114. So extensive was
the destruction that the entire roofing, as well as the internal flat
ceiling, was gone; and though we can glean no certain knowledge from
documentary evidence, it appears probable that the eastern section of
the building suffered more than any other, for whatever other causes
may have aided in the wreck of this part--a weakness in the masonry,
an insufficiency in the supports or abutments--the fall of such heavy
timbers as those which must have formed the outer roof and inner
ceiling of the chancel would in itself be sufficient to wreck the
remainder.

Whether the change in plan that now followed was really necessary
because of the damage that had been done, or whether the fire provided
a welcome opportunity by which new features might be introduced, we
are not able to discover. It is sufficient that the chance was not
lost, for in the eastern ambulatory of the cathedral church at
Chichester is to be seen, as a result, one of the most truly beautiful
examples of mediaeval design that English architecture now possesses.

[Illustration: THE CLERESTORY PASSAGE, NAVE, SOUTH SIDE. _From a
photograph by Mr. F. Bond_.]

In the nave some parts of the old limestone walls had been injured by
the fall of the roofs; they were also seriously damaged by the beams
that had been laid upon them, for these, after their fall, would
continue to burn as they rested against those portions of walling
which remained standing. It was no doubt by some such cause as this
that the early clerestory was disfigured and partly destroyed. In
either case, the old clerestory arcade of the twelfth century no
longer remained as it was before; and though there were already stone
vaults to the aisles of the nave before the fire occurred, yet they
also disappeared and made way for newer ones. The outer roof over the
triforium evidently shared the fate of the other coverings; and the
arched abutment in the triforium, which acted as a support to this
roof and the walling below the clerestory, now disappeared. It may be
that this arching was not completely destroyed by the fire alone; no
doubt some that remained was intentionally removed to prepare the way
for the new work.

The same bishop who had witnessed the completion of the earlier
operations began with much enterprise to see about the reconstruction,
but not the restoration, of what had been destroyed. Some portions
were repaired, others rebuilt; but the greater part of