—(Longman’s Three Cathedrals dedicated to St. Paul in London, 1873, p. 30).
It will be seen that Mr. Ferrey’s figures, formed on careful calculations, not only differ considerably from those of Dugdale, but in the case of the relative heights of the nave and choir they are positively opposite. Mr. Ferrey came to the conclusion that the choir was decidedly higher than the nave.
[357] Old St. Paul’s Cathedral, by Canon Benham, D.D. (Portfolio Monograph), 1902, pp. 6, 7.
[358] Simpson’s History of Old St. Paul’s, 1881, p. 64.
[359] Stow quoted in Longman’s Three Cathedrals, p. 57.
[360] In 1633 Inigo Jones designed, at the expense of Charles I., a classic portico of some beauty in itself, but quite incongruous to the Gothic design of the rest of the building. The King, however, is said to have intended to rebuild the church, and of this scheme the portico was an instalment, but political events effectually prevented this from being carried out. After the Restoration, but before the Fire of London, it was proposed to rebuild the Cathedral in the style of the Renaissance, under the direction of Wren, who had no more liking for Gothic than Inigo Jones had.
[361] History of Old St. Paul’s, 1881, pp. 62, 63.
[362] The name of London House Yard preserves the memory of the palace.
[363] Paul’s Cross was pulled down in 1642, but its site was long marked by a tall elm tree. This mark passed away and the exact position was forgotten. In 1879, however, Mr. F. C. Penrose found the remains of the octagonal base, which are now to be seen at the north-east angle of the choir of the present Cathedral.
[364] During the Commonwealth it was proposed to turn the so-called Convocation House into a meeting-place for Mr. John Simpson’s congregation. A plan (dated 1657) in the Public Record Office (Council of State Order Book, 1657-1658, p. 172) shows the remains of the pillars of the cloisters as they were then. This plan is reproduced in Documents Illustrating the History of St. Paul’s Cathedral (Camden Society, 1880), p. 154.