Many of the structures described in Vol II. as belonging (in part at least) to the decorated period bear some resemblance to those of the same style in England. These edifices are mostly of considerable size, and contain all the usual divisions of choir, nave, and transept, nearly always with aisles. They are also generally vaulted with groined vaults, having wooden roofs above the vaults. The details of the buildings are likewise of similar character in both localities.
As in the preceding period, the large churches of the third pointed period in Scotland are nearly all restorations. No new churches of great size were undertaken. Some of the older large churches which had been damaged were reconstructed, but the new churches erected were almost entirely confined to parish or collegiate structures. The largest new church is that of Trinity College in Edinburgh, founded by the widowed queen of James II. Only a few of the larger of these churches have aisles, and are roofed with groined vaulting.
Most of the new edifices of the late pointed style in Scotland differ from those in England in many particulars. The Scottish churches are, as already stated, usually smaller in size, and consist of single compartments without aisles. Although frequently designed as cross churches, with choir, nave, and transepts, they are rarely finished, the choir or the choir and transepts being often the only portions carried out. The east end frequently terminates with a three-sided apse. This feature is almost entirely characteristic of the late pointed period. It undoubtedly owes its origin to the Scottish alliance and intercourse with France. But the leading and distinguishing feature of our late pointed style is the vaulting, the pointed barrel vault being almost universally employed. We have seen that a pointed barrel vault was used at Lincluden and Bothwell collegiate churches. It was, however, in the later edifices, after the middle of the fifteenth century, that that form of vault came into general use. This kind of arch was of simple construction, and was much employed in the castles of the period, being found convenient—first, because it was of easy construction; and second, because it could conveniently carry a roof composed of overlapping stones. This style of roof had the double advantage of being fireproof, and in the case of the castles, where it was often kept flat, of forming a platform from which the defenders could operate.
It has already been pointed out[4] that many features of domestic architecture were at this time imported into ecclesiastical architecture, and the above feature of the pointed barrel vault carrying a stone roof is the first and most important.
In carrying out this kind of vaulting in churches, several difficulties were encountered and had to be overcome. The most serious of these difficulties was the junction of the transepts, or side chapels, with the choir and nave. In the earlier Gothic churches this was managed by running the vault of the transepts or chapels into that of the nave, and forming a groin at the intersection. But the peculiarity of the late Scottish churches is that they carefully avoid all groins and intersections of arches. The junction of the vaults at the above intersections is, therefore, managed by a special contrivance, viz., by keeping the barrel vaults of the transepts or chapels quite apart from those of the central nave, the side vaults being stopped on gables carried up on arches in the line of the main side walls to receive them. The main nave vault is thus carried throughout the whole length of the central nave without a break, and where the opening into the transepts or chapels occurs, the main vault rests on an arch thrown across the side openings in the line of the main walls, and at a level below the springing of the main vault. The outer stone roofs of the transepts are also kept independent of that of the central nave, and do not mitre into it.
The windows of these churches, which have nearly always pointed arch-heads, are necessarily placed at a low level, so as to allow the point of the arch-head to come beneath the spring of the main vault. This is done so as to avoid even a small groin, such as would be required if the window arch-head were carried up into the main vault. The object is two-fold—first, to escape the difficulty of the intersection of the vaults; and second, to avoid the small gablets over the windows and the small stone roofs and valleys which would be required at the junction of these with the main external stone roofs. The above features are all well exemplified at Ladykirk, Seton College, Corstorphine, and many other churches.
It should be borne in mind that the vaulting in England in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries had also to some extent reverted to the plan of relying chiefly for strength on plain surface vaulting, and not on the ribs as in the earlier period. The example from Winchester Cathedral[5] helps to explain this. The intersection of the vaults is there very slight, and the numerous ribs introduced are almost all used ornamentally. This is also the case in the fan vaulting, so common in England in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, in which the ribs or tracery are applied as ornaments on the surface of the vaults.
Ornamental ribs are not uncommon in Scottish roofs. An early example, somewhat similar to that at Winchester, still exists over the presbytery of Melrose Abbey, where the intersection of the vaults is almost entirely abandoned, and numerous ornamental surface ribs are introduced. In later examples, however, the intersection of the vaults is completely given up, and any ribs employed are useless except as ornaments. Such are the roofs of St. Mirren’s Chapel, Paisley, and the choir of Seton College.
An example of the shifts the builders were put to in order to escape intersecting vaults may be seen in the apse of Stirling Church. In other examples, such as Dunglass and Queensferry, the nave, choir, and transepts have walls carried up on the four sides of the crossing, against which the pointed barrel vaults are stopped, and access is furnished to the various arms of the church by small archways like doorways in the walls. At Whitekirk the crossing is exceptional, having a groined vault; but the choir, &c., have pointed barrel vaults, which stop upon walls at the crossing.
In the case of the apse of Linlithgow Church the difficulty of the intersection of the apse with the choir vault was avoided by sticking on the apse against the east end wall, like a large bow window. This enabled the apse windows to be carried to a good height. Generally speaking the windows in the apse are very low, being kept down below the main arch, and admit little light, thus rendering the vault extremely dark, as, for instance, at Seton Church.