. Archaeologia cantiana. o doubt, the rood-beam was replacedby a rood-screen and loft. There are no signs of the jusual stone staircase to such a rood-loft, but on thetwo easternmost piers of the nave arcades there are Imarks which indicate the erection and subsequentremoval of steps, either of wood or stone, which musthave led up on either side to the rood-loft. Various considerations suggest a late-Norman datefor the church—the third quarter of the twelfthcentury. Early-Norman parish churches were plannedwithout aisles. Late in the Norman period in manycases aisles were added. In St. Margare
. Archaeologia cantiana. o doubt, the rood-beam was replacedby a rood-screen and loft. There are no signs of the jusual stone staircase to such a rood-loft, but on thetwo easternmost piers of the nave arcades there are Imarks which indicate the erection and subsequentremoval of steps, either of wood or stone, which musthave led up on either side to the rood-loft. Various considerations suggest a late-Norman datefor the church—the third quarter of the twelfthcentury. Early-Norman parish churches were plannedwithout aisles. Late in the Norman period in manycases aisles were added. In St. Margarets we havean instance—perhaps an early instance—of a church Iplanned at the first with aisles. The size of thechancel-arch is another sign of late date. Early-Norman churches had small chancel-arches, like thatremaining in West Farleigh Church. Later-Norman Ichurches, and even churches of the early-Pointed jjperiod, were often built with a central tower. The !architect of St. Margarets, with admirable foresight , 4. ST. MARGARET-AT- CLIEFE. 177 )f the incoming fashion of erecting a rood at theentrance to the chancel, designed a wide-spanned andall chancel-arch, leaving the tower to be built at thevest end of the nave. Many small details also point to a late date: thelaborate carving of the caps of the nave arcades, theise of the edge-roll in the arches, the dog-tooth andable mouldings of the arch of north doorway, theLecking of the bases of that doorway, and otherimilar features. But the date of the church, exceptI respect of the tower, cannot be pushed later thanhe third quarter of the twelfth century. The work-lanship is decisive against a later date. All thearving of the capitals and arch-mouldings, in thercades and north doorway alike, seems to have beenxecuted by banker-men on the bench, and the axesems to have been the principal tool used by the ashlar bears signs of having been faced withHe axe. The tower at the west end is manifestly later thanle rest of t
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