.]

The Early Norman window was little better than a narrow slit finished
with a plain semi-circular head, and was generally only a few inches
wide. They were, it is believed, filled with oiled linen and the sides
of the aperture were splayed towards the interior. Later in the period,
the windows were enriched by the zig-zag and other mouldings and at a
still later period an improvement was made by inserting nook-shafts in
the jambs similar to those in doorways.

[Illustration: A Late Norman Parish Church.
Castle Rising, Norfolk. _Drawn by Gordon Home._]

The towers of Norman churches often show windows of two lights separated
by a central shaft, all enclosed under a large semi-circular arch, the
spandrel of which is rarely pierced. Plain circular windows of small
dimensions are sometimes found in other positions and in churches of
later date, and occasionally in gable walls. Larger windows of the same
form, with small shafts radiating from the centre and connected at the
circumference by semi-circular or trefoiled arches, are also found as at
Barfreston church, Kent, where there is a fine example.

[Side note: Doorways.]

Norman doorways are found in great numbers and variety, even in churches
which present no other features in this style. The most usual form
consists of a semi-circular-headed aperture with a hood-mould springing
from plain square-edged jambs. Frequently, however, the doorways are
recessed, having a nook-shaft in the angle formed by a recession from
the capital, in which case it presents two soffits and two faces,
besides the hood-moulds. The depth of these doorways is largely due to
the great thickness of the walls usual in buildings of this period, but
in many cases that portion of the wall in which the entrance is inserted
is made to project forward beyond the general face, which projection is
finished either with plain horizontal capping, or a high-pitched gable.

[Illustration: _West Doorway Rochester Cathedral_
Duncan Moul.]

Norman porches thus have generally but little projection, and are
frequently so flat as to be little more than outer mouldings to the
inner door. They are, however, often richly ornamented and have rooms
above, which rooms are wrongly called "parvises." The shallow aperture
often follows the form of the arch, but is frequently square-headed,
having a semi-circular tympanum of masonry filling the space between the
lintel of the door and the intrados of the arch