our choir, and the shrine of our most holy patron, would without
doubt, be broken down and irrevocably laid flat on the ground, for
that is the direction in which it leans. We confess that whenever
winds and storms are high, and we are standing at our duty in that
part of the church we tremble for our fate, having positive danger
before our eyes."

Shortly afterwards, the rebuilding of all the upper part of the central
tower was commenced and continued for some years. It was not complete in
1474 when Richard Bell was prior, as in a letter written at the time he
mentions the "reedificacion of our steeple, begun but nogt fynyshed, in
defaulte of goods, as God knoweth." It is therefore most probable that
the upper portion was not completed until towards the close of the
fifteenth century.

We have now reached a period when the glories of Gothic architecture
were fading, during which many of our finest churches suffered
considerably. Durham is no exception to the rule, and we find during the
next two centuries a long record of destruction and so-called
improvement. This, perhaps, reached its worst stage during the time of
Wyatt, who in 1796 pulled down the magnificent Norman chapter-house.
During the last decade, however, this has been completely rebuilt from
as nearly as possible the original design. Wyatt also rebuilt the
turrets on the eastern transept or Nine Altar Chapel from his own
design, and removed the great Early English rose window in the east end
and replaced it by the present one. The original stained glass was taken
out of all the windows of the east end, and Raine, in his history, tells
us that it "lay for a long time afterwards in baskets upon the floor,
and when the greater part of it had been purloined, the remainder was
locked up in the Galilee.... At a still later period, about fifteen
years ago, portions of it were placed in the great round window, and the
rest still remains unappropriated." This was written in 1833. It is also
on record that Wyatt formed a scheme to re-open the great western
doorway of the cathedral by the pulling down of the Galilee Chapel, from
which he intended constructing a carriage-drive to the castle. This
abomination was actually commenced when Dean Cornwallis arrived, and he,
with the assistance of John Carter, and the Society of Antiquaries, was
fortunately able to put a stop to it. Thus was this beautiful and unique
specimen of Transitional Norman a