| Fig. 786.—Melrose Abbey. Base of Pier, South Aisle of Nave. | Fig. 787.—Melrose Abbey. Base of East Piers of Transept. |
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Fig. 788.—Melrose Abbey.
Bases of Nave Piers and Base of Exterior of Choir. | Fig. 789.—Melrose Abbey. Vaulting Shafts of Main Nave Piers. |
here and in the clerestory of the east wall of the transept are quite perpendicular in character, and are apparently of the same date as the presbytery. The clerestory windows of the choir and transept (see Figs. 775 and 771) have on the exterior arches distinct from those of the windows on the inside of the wall, which are likewise of late character. A change in the form of the caps of the piers is observable in the transept (see [Fig. 790]), which points to their being late; while some of the windows in the lower parts of the walls of the choir and transept contain curvilinear tracery, thus indicating an earlier date for the lower part than the clerestory. There seems to have been a good deal of restoration and patching in this part of the structure.
Fig. 790.—Melrose Abbey. Cap of Pier and Vaulting Shaft in North Transept.
The design of the west wall of the north transept (see [Fig. 782]) is different from that of the other parts of the building. Owing to the position of the cloister and to there being no aisle on this side, the place of the main piers and arches is occupied by a blank wall. The clerestory windows, however, are of the same design as the rest of the older church. The wall ribs of the vaulting include two windows in each; and the space between the windows is occupied by two niches, each carried up from a shaft, with late canopies, containing statues of St. Peter and St. Paul—the former having the keys and the latter holding his sword. These are the best preserved statues in the church, but they are not of very remarkable workmanship.
The building or restoration of the eastern part of the edifice seems, from its style, to have been carried out towards the middle of the fifteenth century. The vaulting of the south transept appears to have been erected by Abbot Hunter about the same time. On one of the keystones of the vault of the south transept are carved the Hunter arms—viz., three hunting horns, with a crosier, and the letters A. H. This fixes the date of that part of the vaulting about 1450-60, and probably more of the vaulting in the eastern part of the nave may have been carried out at that epoch. It will be observed that the vaults all contain, besides the main and ridge ribs, subsidiary ribs, or tiercerons, indicating a similarity to English examples.