Context 152 - November 2017

C O N T E X T 1 5 2 : N O V E M B E R 2 0 1 7 17 Floorscape Wykeham’s nave floor remain.Among the best survivals is the floor of Chichester nave, which retains almost 40 per cent of its 12th-century Purbeck paving, laid in a characteristic diagonal manner. The Chichester floor pavement also contains several ledger stones inserted into an earlier floor, some of which had been moved there from the choir. ‘Ledger stones’ are flat, incised, commemorative stones, and are among the oldest and most common of sepulchral monuments. They became increasingly common in the later middle ages.More prestigious and expensive were the stones with inset brasses which first appeared in the 13th century, of which in many cases only the stone settings now remain. After the middle ages ledger stones proliferated and are now to be been seen in huge numbers. In the 17th century the continental fashion for cheq- uered marble pavements was copied. Hooke and Busby, the headmaster ofWestminster School, worked together on the black-and-white chequer-board pavement in the choir ofWestminster Abbey in the 1670s. Subsequently, Wren laid a similar floor at St Paul’s. In the 18th century attention turned to repaving the naves of great churches. In 1786 it was agreed to repave the nave of Canterbury in Portland stone lozenges. In 1789–90 the original paving in the nave and aisles of St George’s Chapel,Windsor, was replaced, although fortunately there is a drawing by John Carter of the earlier nave in 1783, which seems to have consisted of foot-square Purbeck marble paving, set diagonally. Floors continue to be relaid, and threats to ancient floors remain, both from the feet of increasing numbers of visitors and from poor decisions. In about 1980 the floor of the nave of St George’s, Windsor, was relaid again. Unfortunately, cheaper options were chosen.TimTatton Brown observed in 2005: ‘After 25 years, one can only regret that the decision was taken (in around 1979) to Photos copyright John Crook (www. john-crook.com) David Harrison’s biography appears on page 14. use the cheapest “York stone” in “random courses”with a “sawn finish”’. Instead, he argued, the Painswick stone paving of 1788–90 should have been restored or repaired. Another conundrum is confronted regularly at Westminster Abbey. The nave of the abbey was paved (with both Purbeck marble and Purbeck stone) between 1510 and 1517. Much of this paving remains, although it has been much cut into by later ledger stones. But the floor has suffered from the inevitable desire to commemorate national figures at a national church.The cost has been the continuing loss of stones from this important medieval floor. An increasing appreciation of our surviving medieval floors implies that modified approaches will need to be made in this instance and at other great churches. (Far left) Purbeck paving and ledger stones in the nave of Chichester Cathedral John Carter’s 1783 illustration of medieval paving at St George’s, Windsor, before it was replaced in 1789–90 (Copyright of the Dean and Canons ofWindsor) The choir atWestminster Abbey with chequerboard paving dating from the 1670s