ST. MARY'S CHURCH, SHREWSBURY, SHROPSHIRE. ST. MARY'S Church is situated at the north-eastern part of the town of Shrewsbury, in a small area, which has the retired appearance of a collegiate close; and, with the exception of St. Giles, is the only ancient structure of this place which has been handed down to the present day in an entire state. The Church is a large venerable building, in the form of a cross, consisting of a nave, side-aisles, transcept, choir, and its chapels, with a western steeple. The exterior aspect presents various styles of ancient architecture. The basement of the tower is of red stone, and has the small round-headed windows of the early Norman era. From the bellstory, the pointed style takes place, and is of the grey freestone of Grinshill Quarry, as is also the greater part of the fabric. The tower is very large, but low. The upper story has, on every side, handsome double windows, and its embattled parapet was, till of late years, adorned with four high pinnacles. From the tower rises a lofty and beautiful spire. The windows of the lower parts, where they spring immediately from the tower, have the remains of rich spiring canopies and pinnacles. The whole height of the steeple is 216 feet, of which the ST. MARY'S CHURCH, SHREWSBURY. On the south side of the Church is a stone porch, of early Norman architecture. Its outward arch is circular, with diagonal or zigzag mouldings, the inner rib obtusely pointed. The small pointed windows on each side are curious specimens of the very earliest rudiments of the mullioned window. The ceiling also presents an example of the most ancient kind of groined vault; and consists of four round massive ribs, crossing each other in the centre, without any boss or ornament. The semicircular arch of the interior door is a good specimen of the style of building in fashion from the conquest to the days of Henry II. The north door is also an elegant example of this ancient kind of building. Before it was an unsightly wooden porch, which was removed in 1801. The arches of the north and south doors of the transcept are in the same early style. The decorations of the latter are rather uncommon, having lozenge pannels placed alternately, and each filled with an embossed flower. The side-aisles, with the upper story of the nave and choir, have pointed windows with mullions, whilst those of the transcept are long and lancet-shaped, without any. The higher walls of the nave were unfortunately, at the last repair in 1756, raised some feet above their original levels, which altogether destroys the ancient proportions, and gives the whole building what is commonly termed a top-heavy appearance. Formerly this Church was crowned with pinnacles, which issued from the spaces between each window, and the corner |