S. Michael's, Oxford, has a massive tower of solid masonry, unpierced in
its lowest stage by either door or window, the second stage shows but
one window and the highest is pierced by several windows of more
elaborate construction.

[Side note: St. Michael's Church, Oxford.]

Although generally consisting of rubble and stone, Saxon churches were
sometimes built of wood as we see from the existing nave of the parish
church of Greenstead, Essex.

[Side note: Greenstead Church, Essex.]

A brick chancel has been added at the east and a timber belfry at the
west end, but the old Saxon portion is composed of large chestnut trees
split asunder and set upright close to each other with the round side
outwards. The ends are roughly hewn so as to fit into a sill at the
bottom, and into a plate at the top, where they are fastened with wooden
pins. There are 16 logs on the south side where are two doorposts, and
on the north side twenty-one logs and two spaces now filled with rubble.
There is a tradition that this church was erected to receive the body of
S. Edmund, on its return from London to Bury, in 1013.

The semi-circular arch has long been considered to be one of the most
distinctive marks of Norman architecture, but Mr. Rickman, who made an
exhaustive study of the early churches of France and England, says:--

"In various churches it has happened that a very plain arch
between nave and chancel has been left as the only Norman feature,
while both nave and chancel have been rebuilt at different times;
but each leaving the chancel arch standing. I am disposed to think
that some of these plain chancel arches, will, on minute
examination, turn out to be of Saxon origin."

It would be tedious to enter into any more minute account of the
Anglo-Saxon ecclesiastical remains, and the reader whose enquiries
conduct him to the more elaborate works on the subject will be startled
by the contrary opinions that he will surely encounter.

In concluding these brief remarks on early buildings, we must again
quote from Parker's work to which reference has already been made:--

"The class of buildings referred to as being considered to belong
to this style contain some rather unusual features, and they
require to be particularly described, both because they are in
themselves remarkable, and because there is a probability that
some of them may be Saxon."

[Illustration: A Norman Pier Arc