[140-†] Though not an ecclesiastical structure, it is here noticed as an example of the style in an early stage.
CHAPTER IX.
OF THE DEBASED ENGLISH STYLE.
Q. When did this style commence, and how long did it prevail or continue?
A. It may be said to have commenced about the year 1540, and to have continued to about the middle of the seventeenth century; but it is difficult to assign a precise date either for its introduction or discontinuance.
Q. Why is this style called the Debased?
A. From the general inferiority of design compared with the style it succeeded, from the meagre and clumsy execution of sculptured and other ornamental work, from the intermixture of detail founded on an entirely different school of art, and the consequent subversion of the purity of style.