Fig. 848.—St. Giles’ Collegiate Church. Chepman Aisle: Corbel of Vault.
The only portions of the exterior which escaped renewal were the tower and steeple. Fortunately the well-known crown of St Giles’ ([Fig. 851]), which forms such a characteristic object in almost every view of Edinburgh, was not interfered with in 1829. The date of its erection is unknown, but to judge from its style it was probably built after the great alterations in the interior were carried out. This crown termination seems to have been a favourite feature with Scottish architects. The crown of the tower of King’s College, Aberdeen, was built after 1505, and similar crowns formerly existed on the towers of Linlithgow and Haddington churches. The crown of St. Nicholas’ Church, Newcastle, which is probably the only other steeple of this kind in Great Britain, is also of a late date. There is a crown of the same description on the tower of the Town Hall at Oudenarde, in Belgium,
Fig. 849.—St. Giles’ Collegiate Church. Doorway of South Porch and Section of Mouldings.
which is also of late Gothic work, and there can be no hesitation in assigning a late date (probably about 1500) to that of St Giles’. It is a very picturesque and striking design, and accords well with its surroundings
