It is certain the building was not all it should have been when these
works were begun; it is not what it might have been had some of them
been deferred. Consequently any illustrations which show its condition
before the middle of the nineteenth century are of interest and value
to those who would know what changes have been made.

In Winkles's essay on Chichester, in his "Cathedrals of England,"
published between 1830 and 1840, are many beautiful drawings of the
fabric. There is one which shows the Arundel screen still in its
original position with the organ above it; and in another the complete
design of the back of the reredos appears. These careful studies of
the building, which were made before it became so changed by the
removal of its best remaining treasures, help to convey some idea of
what the place was before it was so radically "restored."

None of the drawings, however, show any of the beautiful decorations
of the vaults, for all this had been smeared over with a dirty yellow
wash about 1815, which earned for the church the name of "the leather
breeches cathedral." And when, later, the plaster on the stone-filling
between the ribs was removed, the paintings were utterly obliterated
for ever, excepting only the small portion remaining in the
lady-chapel bearing the Wykeham motto upon a scroll. But this recital
is but a prelude to the changes that were to follow. The energy of
revival found expression in many ways, and English architecture
suffered sorely at the hands of ardent ignorance. But the very desire
to deal well with the fabrics of our churches that were to be repaired
taught men to study closely the facts of archaeology. The studies had
a practical end, and at Chichester they found their opportunity in the
cathedral.