134 ENGLISH ARCHITECTURE. Tart II. manner that rendered it exceptionally pre-eminent among its rivals. There is perhaps no feature in the whole range of Gothic architecture, either here or on the Continent, more beautiful than the octagon of Ely (Woodcut No. 572), as rebuilt by Alan of Walsingham, the sacrist at the time the tower fell. He, and he alone, of all northern architects, seems to have conceived the . idea of abolishing what was in fact the bathos of the style — the narrow tall opening of the cen- tral tower, which, though possessing exaggerated height, gave neither space nor dignity inter- nally to the central feature of the design. On the other hand, the necessity of stronger supports to carry the tower fre- quently contracted still more the one spot where, accord- ing to architectural propriety, an ex- tended area was of vital importance to the due harmony of the design. In the present instance the archi- tect took for the base of his design the whole width of the nave and aisles, con- structing in it an octagon, the sides of which are respectively 25 and 30 ft., and the diameter 65 ft. in one direction east and west, and 70 ft. transversely. By this arrangement a central area was obtained more than three times the 570. Plan of 'iiiche3ter Cathedral. (From Britton.) Scale 100 ft. to 1 in.
