. Vanishing England . restoration. A terri-ble renewing was begun in 1848, when the old stalls weredestroyed and much damage done. Twenty years laterbetter things were accomplished, save that the grandeurof the west front was belittled by a pipey restoration,when Irish limestone, with its harsh hue, was used toembellish it. A curiosity at Wells are the quarter jacks over the clockon the exterior north wall of the cathedral. Local tradi-tion has it that the clock with its accompanying figureswas part of the spoil removed from Glastonbury ecclesiastical authorities at Wells assert in c
. Vanishing England . restoration. A terri-ble renewing was begun in 1848, when the old stalls weredestroyed and much damage done. Twenty years laterbetter things were accomplished, save that the grandeurof the west front was belittled by a pipey restoration,when Irish limestone, with its harsh hue, was used toembellish it. A curiosity at Wells are the quarter jacks over the clockon the exterior north wall of the cathedral. Local tradi-tion has it that the clock with its accompanying figureswas part of the spoil removed from Glastonbury ecclesiastical authorities at Wells assert in contradic-tion to this that the clock was the work of one Peter Light-foot, and was placed in the cathedral in the latter part ofthe fourteenth century. A minute is said to exist in thearchives of repairs to the clock and figures in 1418. It isMr. Roes opinion that the defensive armour on the quarterjacks dates from the first half of the fifteenth century, theplain oviform breastplates and basinets, as well as the con-. Quarter Jacks over the Clock on exterior of North Wall of Wells Cal ledral 216 VANISHING ENGLAND tinuation of the tassets round the hips, being very charac-teristic features of this period. The halberds in the handsof the figures are evidently restorations of a later time. Itmay be mentioned that in 1907, when the quarter jacks werepainted, it was discovered that though the figures them-selves were carved out of solid blocks of oak hard as iron,the arms were of elm bolted and braced thereon. Thoughsuch instances of combined materials are common enoughamong antiquities of medieval times, it may yet be sur-mised that the jar caused by incessant striking may intime have necessitated repairs to the upper limbs. Thearms are immovable, as the figures turn on pivots tostrike. An illustration is given of the palace at Wells, whichis one of the finest examples of thirteenth-century housesexisting in England. It was begun by Jocelyn. Thegreat hall, now in ruins, was built
Size: 1525px × 1638px
Photo credit: © Reading Room 2020 / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: ., bookauthorditchfieldphpeterhamp, bookcentury1900, bookdecade1910
