Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: CHAPTER II STRUCTURAL AND CONSTITUTIONAL CHANGES The following list of the structural changes in Christ Church Cathedral, so far as they can be traced from documents and other evidence, may be useful before entering upon a more detailed account: 1038.?Foundation of the cathedral. End of I2th century.?Present transepts and former old choir erected. Beginning of 13th century.?Nave built, of which the present north side remains, the piers being new. 1283.?Chapter-house and steeple, together with dormitory and cloisters, destroyed by fire. 1316.?Steeple blown down. 1349-1362.?Erection of the old choir by John de St. Paul, and removal of earlier Norman work. This choir, as shown on the plan of the old building, had a bend towards the north caused by the builders utilizing the south wall of the old chapel (probably dedicated to St. Nicholas) erected independently of the original cathedral. 1461.?The large east window blown in, the stones of which broke to pieces many chests and coffers, etc.1 1562.?Fall of the roof and south wall of nave, and destruction of the south aisle and greater part of the west front. Rebuilding of same in a nondescript fashion, as it appeared up to 1871. 1608.?Courts of justice founded south-west of the cathedral upon the site of the episcopal palace erected by Bishop Donat in the twelfth century, and subsequently occupied (up to 1608) by the deanery and other conventual buildings. 1 On this occasion the Black Book records that the chest in which the staff of Jesus and other reliques lay was entirely broken in pieces, and the staff was found lying without the least damage on the top of the rubbish, but the other reliques were entirely buried under it. 1615.?Portions of the cathedral rebuilt by Thomas Jones, Archbi...