vation without the extensive renewing that
evidently took place.

The room containing the chained library was at the same time refitted.
New shelves and rods were provided, but the old chains were used again.

The restoration of 1855-1857 did not extend to the transept; but
these were taken in hand in 1891, with the usual result--namely, the
destruction of some existing features, such as the seventeenth-century
tracery of the north window,[3] to make room for a nineteenth-century
window in Decorated style, which, however, differs altogether from any
window in the minster; the walls were raised about two feet and a roof
of higher pitch put upon them, which necessitated alterations in the
gables. A sundial which stood at the summit of the south gable was taken
down, and this in 1894 was erected on a pillar built in the churchyard,
a short distance from the south wall of the western tower. The transept
previous to the restoration with the sun-dial on its gable is shown in
the illustration on p. 19.

[3] This tracery is shown in the illustration on p. 21. The original
foliation seems to have been cut away, and the intermediate
mullions extended to the points of the two lights. This may
have been done with a view to economy in reglazing the window.
The modern window is shown on page 37.

A small chamber to contain the hydraulic apparatus for the organ has
recently been added to the east side of the south transept.

CHAPTER II

THE EXTERIOR

Wimborne Minster does not occupy a commanding position--it stands on
level ground, its two towers are not lofty, the western only reaching
the height of 95 feet and the central 84 feet--but it has the advantage
of having an extensive churchyard both on the south side and also on the
north, so that from either side a good general view of the building may
be obtained. A street running from the east end of the church towards
the north gives the spectator the advantage of a still more distant
standpoint, from which the towers, transepts, choir, and porch group
themselves into one harmonious whole, the long line of iron railings
bounding the churchyard being the only drawback. The first impression is
that there is something wrong with the central tower; the plain heavy
battlement, with its four enormous corner pinnacles, seems to overweight
the tower, and as each side of the parapet is longer than the side of
the tower below, the feeling of t