of a church
was in the Middle Ages usually appropriated to women, as inferior to
the south, which was reserved for the opposite sex. The north side of
the churchyard was used for the burial of ordinary people, a fact which
explains St. Swithun's humility in choosing it for his own
resting-place.

[10] His words are these: "Supposing Hollar's and other views of the
church (in which buttresses at the angles of the tower are shown) to be
correct, the buttresses as well as the pinnacles were then removed."

[11] The space was eventually left at 130 feet, as it now stands.

[12] Mr. Dollman, who probably knew more about the ancient fabric than
any living man, was heard to express his regret that his own great age
prevented his active co-operation, but he was delighted that the work
of restoration had fallen to such competent hands.

[Illustration: _Photo._ _G.P. Heisch._
THE CATHEDRAL FROM THE SOUTH-WEST.]

CHAPTER II

THE EXTERIOR

At the present day St. Saviour's Cathedral is most unfortunate in its
surroundings, and cannot be seen as a whole from any point, near or
distant. Hemmed in as the church is by London Bridge on the east, the
Borough Market and railway arches on the south, and by tall warehouses
on the other sides, the confined space in which it stands is a decided
hindrance to the near perspective, while the surrounding buildings
shut off the view from a distance in all directions.[13]

The railway line from Cannon Street commands a fairly good prospect
from the south-west, as it passes the church in its course. A closer
prospect is to be obtained from the London Bridge approach which takes
in the Lady Chapel, the east and south sides of the choir, the tower
and south transept. A few yards further up the slope we, of course,
lose the south aspect, but get a fair view, from the north-east
corner, of part of the east front and the north transept, including
the new Harvard window in the chapel beneath it. If we descend the
short flight of steps at the foot of the bridge, and take up a
position in the south-east corner of the open ground outside the
church railings, we get a fairly good view of the south side from the
Lady Chapel to the south-west porch, but lose sight of much of the
east end, and therefore of one of the most characteristic external
features.

The church lies in a general east and west direction, and is cruciform
in plan, consisting of a nave, north and south transepts,