Fig. 760.—New Abbey, or Sweetheart Abbey. View from South-West.
Fig. 761.—New Abbey, or Sweetheart Abbey. Choir, from Crossing.
is also noticeable in the side windows and throughout the building, even the arches of the main arcades of the nave having, as already pointed out, a similar form. The inner mouldings of the window arches by this arrangement abut against or die into the jambs, a form not in itself displeasing; but the incompleted and broken appearance of the arches of the hood at the face of the wall cannot be regarded as beautiful.
Some further peculiarities are also to be noticed in connection with the tracery. A prominent moulding is carried round the mullions and the lower arches only of the eastern window, while the upper parts of the tracery are plain and rather heavy in appearance. In the case of the side windows of the choir a similar moulding is carried round the whole of the tracery, and the effect, owing to the depression of the arches, is somewhat squat and heavy.
The most beautifully detailed feature of the church is undoubtedly the triforium. Although now only well preserved in the nave, it has originally gone round the whole edifice, small portions of it being still preserved, as above mentioned, in the triforiums of the transepts and choir (see [Fig. 761]). In the two latter places it has been simpler than in the nave, the caps being moulded in these situations, and beautifully carved with foliage in the nave.
The semicircular arch of the upper window in the east gable ([Fig. 762]) of the choir and the similar form in the exterior windows of the triforium of the nave (see [Fig. 757]) are quite in accordance with Scottish usage, and give no clue to the date.
The sedilia and piscina of the choir have been of fine workmanship, but are now sadly destroyed.