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rim. There are four cat masks at Patrixbourne and eight at
Barfreston, but both windows have been repaired and we cannot be certain
how many there were originally.31
These English examples are broadly similar to wheel windows
in France but, rather than copies of particular examples, are slightly
later free interpretations of them.32 Furthermore, there are no
real parallels closer to home. In particular it is worth stressing that
there is now nothing in the cathedrals at Canterbury or Rochester, where
models have generally been sought, to suggest that either of these
buildings actually played such a role in this case.33
Dating
What, then, does the fabric suggest about the dates for Patrixbourne
church and its decoration? The form of the building, the surviving round
arches and round-headed doors and windows indicate a building of the
twelfth century. Political uncertainty in the first half of that century
may have inhibited building, although the civil war of King Stephen’s
reign (1135-54) had relatively little impact in Kent. This factor
may point to the second half of twelfth century as more likely for the
main part of the church at Patrixbourne. This period saw a great deal of
building and re-building of churches and cathedrals in England reflecting
the growth in prosperity and increased cosmopolitan |
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under Henry II. Kahn believes that 1170 is a more realistic date for the
church than the later dates of 1200 (Newman) or 1180 (Rigold). Zarnecki
gives a date for Patrixbourne of 1180 based on his examination of the
sculpture.34
The decoration was not necessarily carried out at the same
time as the building work. However, the relationship between the
Patrixbourne south door and the west door at Rochester (thought to date
from around 1160), rather than to the rebuilding of Canterbury Cathedral a
few years after the fire of 1174, suggests an earlier rather than a later
date for its carving. Although taking the same general shape as the doors
in Normandy already mentioned, those churches are generally earlier than
the third quarter of the twelfth century.35 A date of
between 1170 and 1180 would seem credible for the south portal. The
decorative style of this door is close to the earlier styles found in
Normandy and, since building often started at the east end and worked
towards the west, may have been completed before the south portal.
The wheel window presents some difficulty. No dates have been
suggested for the window alone and, with the exception of Barfreston, no
parallels survive in the area to provide guidance. It is just |