Mr. Romilly Allen has shown that the Norman carved work in England was executed between 1135 and 1190, and that hardly any carving exists on churches of an earlier date. It could, therefore, not be looked for here till towards the end of the twelfth century. The carved work in the west doorway of the chapel, being of a somewhat advanced character of ornament, can, therefore, scarcely be earlier than about the beginning of the thirteenth century.
THE CHAPEL IN EDINBURGH CASTLE, KNOWN AS “ST. MARGARET’S CHAPEL.”
When treating of Edinburgh Castle in the Castellated and Domestic Architecture of Scotland,[154] this chapel was briefly described and illustrated; but it has been thought of sufficient importance to be included in this volume, with additional illustrations[155] and descriptive matter.
Fig. 192.—St. Margaret’s Chapel, Edinburgh Castle. Plan and Sections.
The exterior walls of the chapel ([Fig. 192]) form an oblong, measuring 31 feet 7 inches from east to west, by 16 feet in width at the east end and 14 feet 4 inches at the west end. The angles of the structure are thus not right angles. Although the building is extremely simple in its external aspect, it is more ornamental and of a more developed form of plan in the
