benefactors. There are thus thirty statues in all, and most were no
doubt carved at the time of the erection of the front; but two or three
appear to be of earlier date, and may possibly have formed part of the
embellishments of the Saxon church.

[Illustration: Gates to West Porch.]

=The Towers north and south=, up to the height of the parapets, are of
the same date as the portion already described. They are ornamented with
blank arcading in six stages, of different dimensions and character; all
is in perfect harmony with the rest of the composition. The loftiest of
the stages of this arcading has a sub-division with round arches; and
the stage above the great stringcourse has round-headed trefoils so as
to be in keeping with the row of similar arches in the gables; but with
these two exceptions all the arches on the arcades of the tower are
pointed and without cusps. Of the spires which surmount these towers
that on the south is by far the more elegant. It has pinnacles at the
corners of square section, and then another set of triangular pinnacles,
resting on open arches connecting the corner pinnacles with the spire.
These triangular pinnacles are double the height of those at the
corners. All the pinnacles and canopies over the arches have crockets.
This spire is some few feet loftier than that to the north, though most
measurements of the cathedral have hitherto given them as being of the
same height.

The inner wall of the portico, forming the west wall of the cathedral,
is covered with elaborate arcading, and so also are the ends, north and
south. The designs are nearly a continuation of the arcading on the two
towers. There are five lofty windows, now filled with tracery inserted
in the Perpendicular period, the great west window having been enlarged