1821.] Account of the Parish of Cumner, Berks. Some Account of the Parish of Cumner, THE Berks. (Continued from p. 35.) THE Cell, Place, or as it was subsequently termed, the Hall, occupied a gentle eminence pleasantly situated upon the Southern side of the road, towards the Eastern extremity of the village, commanding an agreeable prospect over the vale beneath, and sheltered from the chilling blasts of the North and Eastern winds by the bills of Botley and Cumner. hurst. The buildings, though they presented no appearance of grandeur, were constructed in a style far superior to the other lazarettos in the vicinity of Oxford; so that they were, in some degree, characteristic of the opulent society to which they appertained. The principal apartments were situated at a short distance from the road (the intervening space being occupied by a court-yard), and disposed in a quadrangular form, enclosing an area, which extended seventytwo feet in length from North to South, and fifty-two in breadth from East to West. The Offices, as may be seen by the foundations, were erected behind the Western side of the quadrangle, and along the East and Western sides of the Court-yard. The grounds, attached to these buildings, Jay towards the South and West: they were not very extensive, and a considerable portion being allotted to a pleasure garden, the Park was so very much contracted, that it is reported to contain no more than twenty-five acres. The author of "an Historical Account of Cumner" has expressed a conjecture, that "the Park, at the period when the Place was more highly favoured, extended to the boundary of the next parish, a distance of three quarters of a mile from the house," with which I should be inclined to coincide, had I not seen an antient record, now in the possession of the vicar, in which the Park is expressly termed an adjoining close. The Court-yard was spacious, and separated from the road by a lofty and substantial wall, which, from a portion still remaining, appears to have been constructed of squared stones of a magnitude equally unusual and unnecessary, in works of this description. Towards the Western end of this wall was situated GENT. MAG. September, 1821. 201 the principal entrance, which, from an inscription carved over it, and copied by Dr. Buckler previous to its removal, was erected by, Forster in the year 1575. When the Place was pulled down, it is reported that the Earl of Abingdon ordered this entrance to be carefully taken down, intending to have it rebuilt at a principal entrance gateway to his park at Wytham; but afterwards, considering the inscription it bore was more applicable to a sacred edifice, he changed his purpose, and caused it to be re-erected at the entrance to Wytham Churchyard from the village. It is very evident, however, that there is some incorrectness accompanying this po pular tradition: the gateway removed to Wytham never could have formed the principal entrance to Cumnerplace, for it has suffered no alteration, or diminution in any of its parts, and yet its width is not a third the width of a pair of old gates yet remaining at Cumner, which are reported formerly to have hung beneath the carriage gateway. But if we advert to the modes of constructing entrance gateways practised during the Tudor period, we shall discover that the duplex form, which consisted of a postern attached to the carriagegate, to have been most prevalent. Of such a construction is the entrance to the outer court-yard of the Manorhouse in the neighbouring village of Yarnton (co. Oxon.) erected during this period; the postern of which corresponds, in some respects, with the gateway at Wytham, although neither so elegant in its form, or correct in its details. I suspect, therefore, that the gateway removed to Wytham, was merely the postern, and that the carriage entrance, to which it was appended, has been totally demolished. This postern (for so I shall presume to term it) is of the pointed style of architecture, and although erected at that period when this mode of build. ing was extremely vitiated, and about to be entirely disused, is particularly correct in its design, and the mouldings are remarkably bold and wellwrought. The door-way measures eight feet in height, and three feet, four inches in width, and is formed by an elegant pointed arch, enclosed by an architrave of a square form, the spandrils 202 Account of the Parish of Cumner, Berks. spandrils being filled with trefoil pan nels. The architrave on the exterior is enriched with a deep hollow moulding, and bounded by a sub-architrave supported by two slender circular columns, having octangular capitals. The gateway is surmounted by a neat entablature, terminated by a small embattled cornice, between which, and the graduated coping of the wall, is inserted a pannel of an oblong form, inscribed with the words IANVA VITÆ VERBVM DOMINI*. (See Plate I.) The principal entrance to the quadrangle was by means of an archway nine feet in height, placed in the centre of the Northern side, and exactly opposite the gateway communicating between the road and the outer courtyard; and was formed by an architrave composed of plain moulding, rising from the ground. The archway was groined, and decorated at the intersection of the ribs with a central sculptured boss. The rooms on the ground story of this side were four in number, two being situated upon each side the entrance; they were rather small, but well proportioned, and highly finished. The door cases were very elegant; the windows were uniform, of the Tudor fashion, composed of two cinquefoil arched lights, enclosed in square frames; and the chimney pieces were richly adorned. Two of the doorcases were removed to Wytham, one of which was erected at the West end of the tower, and the other forms a communication between the Earl of Abingdon's garden and the Churchyard; several of the windows were likewise inserted in divers buildings, under the direction of the Earl, but the chimney-pieces, through the unskilfulness of the workmen, were broken to pieces, in extricating them from the walls in which they had been wrought; and it is probable, that had not sketches been made of two of the entablatures belonging to them, for Mr. Alderman Fletcher, of Oxford (who has devoted immense labour, and considerable expence, to form a * In the back of this gateway, is placed another pannel, inscribed HN. MN. ANO, 1571; but as this gate does not agree with that copied by Dr. Buckler, I should apprehend that it has no relation whatever with the building in which it is inserted. [Sept. collection of materials for the eluci dation of the antiquities around the city in which he resides), not a memorial of them would have been preserved. The worthy Alderman, with his accustomed liberality, readily submitted these to our inspection, and inasmuch as, in some degree, they display the decorative taste of our ancestors, we have, with his permission, represented them in the annexed plate. The Eastern end of the buildings, upon this side, abutted upon the Church-yard; and in a print recently engraved of Cumner Church, after a drawing by Dr. Vyse, this portion of the fabrick is (although but indifferently) represented. The gable end of the roof was surmounted by a small stone cross; beneath which was a window enclosed in an elegant pointed architrave, and composed of two cinquefoil lights, divided horizontally by a transome, with elaborate tracery in the head of the arch. This window appertained to an apartment that extended the whole length of the side, which in the original appropriation of the building, might have been intended for a dormitory, but it was known to the villagers by the denomination of the "Long Gallery." The entrance to it was by a plain pointed arched door-way, situated in the outer court, at the North-west corner of the quadrangle, communicating with a circular newel stone stair-case leading to a door-way at the Western end of the apartment. In addition to the large window at the East end, it had a range of windows on each side, which looked into the quadrangle and court-yard; these were generally corresponding with those lighting the rooms beneath, and previously described, though a few varied from this form. At the Northern extremity of the Western side, was a large room that projected a short distance beyond the line of the other buildings; and from a double-arched entrance in its Southern side, communicating immediately with the Hall, it was probably originally designed for the buttery. It had a window in its East and Western sides, of a square form, and divided into three cinquefoil lights; and likewise two door-ways, one in the projection, communicating with the quadrangle, and another leading into a back 1821.] Account of the Parish of Cumner, Berks, a back-yard, where the kitchen and There is some reason to believe (if 203 tradition of the village asserts, that the Lady Dudley was discovered lying dead. The Great Hall was situated in the centre of the Western side; it was of an oblong form, measuring forty-four feet in length from North to South, and twenty-two in breadth from East to West. The walls, though they were but fourteen feet in height, and exceeded a yard in thickness, were strengthened by large projecting buttresses on each side, to support the enormous weight of the roof, which was of an equilateral shape, and covered with tiles. The principal entrance, which was at the North end of the East side, is now erected in the porch of Wytham Church, and is composed of a pointed arch, enclosed in a square architrave, and bounded by a sub-architrave. Opposite to this was another doorway, of very rude workmanship, communicating with the offices behind, and over which was the date 1571 carved between the initials of Forster's name. There were two windows on each side, for the reception of which, the walls in those parts were carried up a considerable height above the springing of the roof, and terminated with pedimental heads surmounted by cross capstones. The windows were bounded by pointed architraves, and enclosed by sub-architraves springing from corbels representing human heads: they were each divided by a mullion into two lights, subdivided by a small transome, the upper divisions being ornamented with trefoil or cinquefoil arched heads. The tracery was fanciful and elegant; but as verbal descriptions are utterly inadequate to convey an idea of such intricate yet beautiful forms, three of the most curious of the windows, as they are re-erected in Wytham Church *, * The sedulous attention which the Earl of Abingdon has bestowed, to preserve every fragment of antient art, whether curious or beautiful, deserves the loudest applause. How different has been the feeling which he has displayed, to that which is generally manifested, when an old mansion is consigned to destruction. Not a member of this building, which could be preserved entire, remains unappropriated, but every portion has been attributed to some building with the most exact judgment. The harmony and propriety with which such various parts have been arranged in Wytham Church, furnish a singular proof of his Lordship's architectural skill: and the antient disposi tion and character of our Ecclesiastical Architecture, are unquestionably better preserved there, than in any other fabric of recent origin, erected in the same style, that bas fallen beneath my inspection. The windows, which whilst they remained at Cumner, were rapidly advancing to utter ruin, derive new strength and beauty from their appropriation; and, no longer exposed to the brutal wantonness of the vulgar, may furnish, for ages, delightful subjects for the contemplation of the Architectural Antiquary. arc |