[Illustration:  Plan of Monastery Buildings.]

=The Interior=.—­With few exceptions, to be noticed in due course, the whole of the interior of the cathedral is in the Norman style, and many judge it to be the most perfect specimen in England.  The plan consists of a nave of ten bays, with aisles, and a western transept; transepts of four bays with eastern chapels, the south transept having also a groined chamber to the west, extending for its whole length; a choir of four bays, terminating in an apse, nearly semicircular, with aisles; and beyond the apse a large square-ended addition for more chapels, having a groined stone roof of fan tracery, now known as the New Building.  The ritual choir, as distinguished from the architectural choir, extends two bays into the nave.  This arrangement is a return to the ancient one used by the Benedictines, the choir in Dean Monk’s alterations having been limited to the portion east of the central tower.

As we enter at the west door we see at a glance the entire length, and the whole beauty of the admirable proportion of the several parts.  While many may wish that the great arches of the tower which can be seen from the west end had never been altered from the round form of the Norman builders, few will regret that the Decorated arches which took their place were retained when the tower was rebuilt, instead of having new arches in the Norman style substituted.  The want of colour which is so marked a defect in many English cathedrals is not so conspicuous here, because of the painted ceiling.

The Norman work being in the main so complete, it will be best to begin the description where the building itself was begun, at the apse.  At the west door we stand where the work was finished.  We know when the building commenced, in 1117, but we do not know exactly when the whole was finished to the western wall; but, speaking roughly, though not very far from the truth, we may say that the minster took eighty years to complete.  This may be slightly more than was actually taken.  During that time the work was not continuous:  there were some Abbots who appear to have done little or nothing towards extending the works, and sometimes accordingly there was an entire cessation from active operations.  Including the west front, we should have to assign nearly 120 years to the completion of the building.

=The Choir=.—­Up to the commencement of the apse the choir is of four bays.  The pillars are alternately round and with eight or twelve sides; all have cushioned capitals, indented to agree with the mouldings above; all had a shaft on the inner side rising to the roof, to support the wooden groining, but the lower parts of some of these shafts were cut away to make room for the woodwork of Dean Monk’s choir.  The ornamentation throughout is plentiful, but we see nothing but the billet, the chevron, and the hatchet moulding, all indicative of early work.  The triforium has two recessed arches, beneath the