[Illustration: FIG. 190.--St. Oran’s Chapel. West Doorway.]
them said to be the monuments of Scottish, Irish, and Norwegian kings, lie exposed in the churchyard, and are gradually wasting away. They are all elaborately carved with the floral ornament peculiar to this part of the country, while some also contain the dog-tooth ornament, which was revived here at a late date. This will be further referred to in connection with Iona Cathedral.
[Illustration: FIG. 191.--St. Oran’s Chapel. Monument.]
Mr. Romilly Allen has shown that the Norman carved work in England was executed between 1135 and 1190, and that hardly any carving exists on churches of an earlier date. It could, therefore, not be looked for here till towards the end of the twelfth century. The carved work in the west doorway of the chapel, being of a somewhat advanced character of ornament, can, therefore, scarcely be earlier than about the beginning of the thirteenth century.
THE CHAPEL IN EDINBURGH CASTLE, KNOWN AS “ST. MARGARET’S CHAPEL.”
When treating of Edinburgh Castle in the _Castellated and Domestic Architecture of Scotland_,[154] this chapel was briefly described and illustrated; but it has been thought of sufficient importance to be included in this volume, with additional illustrations[155] and descriptive matter.
[Illustration: FIG. 192.--St. Margaret’s Chapel, Edinburgh Castle. Plan and Sections.]
The exterior walls of the chapel (Fig. 192) form an oblong, measuring 31 feet 7 inches from east to west, by 16 feet in width at the east end and 14 feet 4 inches at the west end. The angles of the structure are thus not right angles. Although the building is extremely simple in its external aspect, it is more ornamental and of a more developed form of plan in the
[Illustration: FIG. 193.--St. Margaret’s Chapel, Edinburgh Castle. Elevations.]
interior. The plan comprises a nave with a chancel arch, and a chancel which has a round apse formed within the square east end of the exterior. The nave is 15 feet 10 inches long by 10 feet 4 inches and 9 feet 9 inches wide at the east and west ends respectively. The chancel is 9 feet 7½ inches long, and the same width at the west end. The total interior length is 27 feet 4½ inches. The nave is waggon vaulted, without ribs; and the apse is roofed with a vault forming the quadrant of a dome. The nave vault is about 10 feet 8 inches high. (See sections, Fig. 192.)