. Proceedings - Dorset Natural History and Archaeological Society. help of various kinds mostcourteously afforded to me. The grand Abbey-Barn at Cerne seems hardly to have had its duename and fame among antiquaries. Whether looked at, however,as a piece of almost unsurpassable masonry, or as a noble design, itis one of the most noteworthy of Dorset mediaeval relics. All themore grievous is the loss of the greater part of the fine open roof,which fell a few years ago. The barn is now the property ofGeneral Pitt-Rivers, who, as Government Inspector of AncientMonuments, naturally took much intere
. Proceedings - Dorset Natural History and Archaeological Society. help of various kinds mostcourteously afforded to me. The grand Abbey-Barn at Cerne seems hardly to have had its duename and fame among antiquaries. Whether looked at, however,as a piece of almost unsurpassable masonry, or as a noble design, itis one of the most noteworthy of Dorset mediaeval relics. All themore grievous is the loss of the greater part of the fine open roof,which fell a few years ago. The barn is now the property ofGeneral Pitt-Rivers, who, as Government Inspector of AncientMonuments, naturally took much interest in the structure. TheGeneral has shown me an extract from his estate journal, datedSeptember 27, 1886, in which it is directed that the roof was to bereplaced in deal in the same form as the old one, tiling it againwith the same stone as before. In the following year, havinginspected the repairs, he was much annoyed by finding that hisorders had not been carried out; and the existing roof is con-structed on modern principles, with tie beams. He was, however,. 188 CERNE ABBEY BARN. in time to save the porches, which have been reproduced in exactlythe same lines as the old porches. And, outside, all that meets theview is in accordance with the old state of the roof; which now,as formerly, is covered with heling stones or stone tiles. Allhonour to the owner for delivering us from the eyesore of raw slateon the old, time-stained walls. The building now standing is of nine bays, each about 12ft. , giving the total length as a trifle over 112ft. But the * barneither has been, or was intended to be, much longer. At the northend it is unfinished. There are there cheeks and springers of porch-arches, like those of the two existing porches. It is almost certainthat to the north of the second porches there were, or were meantto be, four bays, as is the existing plan at the south. Thus wemay add five bays, or 62ft. 6in., to the length, making it 174ft. inall. This is an enormous
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