Fig. 898.—Balmerino Abbey. Plan.
The church is situated, as at the mother church of Melrose, on the south side of the cloister. It consisted of a nave with a south aisle (there being no north aisle), transepts with the usual eastern aisle, and a short presbytery without aisles. The internal dimensions of the church were as follows:—Total length from east to west about 206 feet, width of nave about 45 feet, length of transepts and crossing about 98 feet, width of transept (including the east aisle) about 46 feet, and width of presbytery about 25 feet.
Fig. 899.—Balmerino Abbey. Plan of Piers and Responds.
Three of the vaulting shafts of the nave exist against the north wall (their section is shown in [Fig. 899]); but they are so situated as to give an unequal division to the bays. Until the ivy is stripped from the walls, and the accumulated debris of centuries is removed from the floor, nothing more definite can be ascertained regarding them; but assuming that two of the responds are in their proper places at a distance of 20 feet apart—of which there seems to be no doubt—this would give a nave of six bays. In the line of the nave piers various foundations have been laid bare, as shown on Plan. Beginning at the west end a foundation projects inwards 5 feet; next it there is a cross wall about 10 feet in length; then further to the east, two foundations as if for piers, and next them the great south-east pier of the crossing, one side of which is quite entire and is shown in Fig. 899. It measures along the diagonal face 6 feet 10 inches by 7 feet 7 inches across. There were three such piers, the fourth (see [Fig. 899]) being made up with the responds at the junction of the nave and transept walls at the north-west corner of the crossing. Each transept probably contained two bays. The respond against the north transept wall still exists.
Fig. 900.—Balmerino Abbey.
Plan of West Doorway.