137 CHURCH OF ST. JOHN THE BAPTIST, NEWTON NOTTAGE, GLAMORGAN. BY G. E. HALLIDAY, Esq. THE TOWER. APART from its archæological interest, the Parish Church of Newton Nottage has a charm of its own, both in itself and its surroundings. The old churchyard seems merged in the undulating golden-green sandhills stretching away to the mouth of the river Ogmore on the east-and to Porthcawl, a mile or so to the west. Beyond the sandhills lies the sea, with the Devonshire hills far away in the distance. The church consists of a chancel, nave, western tower, and an unusually large south porch (Fig. 3), containing many good examples of thirteenth, fourteenth, but more especially fifteenth-century work. There seems no evidence, however, of any remains belonging to the twelfth century being in situ; although it appears to the writer that the bases of the fourteenthcentury porch entrance arch are in reality Norman capitals turned upside down, to suit the builders of that time. The tower, to which the writer more particularly wishes to draw attention, is a massive structure, in all about 54 ft. high-27 ft. from north to south, and 22 ft. from east to west, supported at its four corners by six exceedingly heavy buttresses. From its general appearance, and from the evidence of the early details still remaining, there is little if any doubt but that this portion of the building, at any rate, was used for defensive purposes. The range of eight massive corbels projecting about 2 ft. from the eastern face of the tower wall, formed in all probability the support for a temporary wooden platform; while the splayed and moulded battlement coping-stones (Fig. 10), now laid flat, would, when placed on their natural bed, form a moulded and weathered battlement coping to the early flat-roofed tower. It will be noticed that these stones have "slots" about |