[on mourning paper
Trin Coll. <1>
Saturday. Nov. 16
My dear Father -
The money has been recei received at Mortlocks Bank from Mr Awdry. <2> I have not paid my college bill yet but will do so soon. I was dining last night at Downing Lodge. <3> Dr Worsley <4> enquired after you - as did Mrs Worsley & Lady Affleck. <5> I do not know that I have much news to tell you. My boating is at a stand-still for about a fortnight as the training is going on for "the scratch eights" as it is termed which race will not be rowed for a week at least, and as I am do not intend to pull in it, I cannot get put into get taken down in a boat till it is over. I was interested yesterday on when walking about, in seeing that they have restored the stonework of two of the windows in on the North side of the church of St Mary the Less <6> (close to Peterhouse, a third window is cleared out ready to have its tracery put in. The work & design seemed to me to be very good, & what model they had to guide them I do not kne know. The east-window of the church still remains and is in my opinion certainly the most beautiful design fo of a window in Cambridge - I am inclined to think, though I am not sure that tha the stonework of one of the side windows which they have The architect under whose direction the w restorations are carried app out is, I believe, ' Mr Gilbert Scott. <7> The church must have been originally a very beautiful one with a great number of very large pointed windows the nearly all of which have however been either b built up, or have had their tracery taken out. the style seems to be what is called flowing "Flowing Decorated" the same style as the east window of Carlisle Cathedral, <8> and the west window of York <9> - and which seems to me to h be the most beautiful period of English windows Although it the church is insignificant in size compared with "Kings Chapel" <10> I think the architect who designed it, must have had much better taste than the architect of Kings. -
Your affect son
Charles -
Notes:
1. Trinity College, Cambridge.
2. West Awdry (1807-1892), solicitor, Chippenham. See Doc. No: 08464.
3. Downing College, Cambridge.
4. Rev Thomas Worsley (1797-1885), theologian & Master of Downing College, Cambridge. He was master of Downing from 1836 until his death.
5. His wife, Katherine, née Rawson, eldest daughter of Stansfield Rawson, of Wasdale Hall, Cumberland. Lady Affleck (d.1865), was the second wife of the master of Trinity College, Rev William Whewell (1794-1866), Master of Trinity College, Cambridge, Professor and natural philosopher.
6. Originally built in the 13th c.; to distinguish it from the other St. Mary's in the centre of Cambridge, it became known as St. Mary the Less. The church was refitted in 1741 with wooden panelling, box-pews, choir gallery and central pulpit (the present pulpit). It was restored by Sir George Gilbert Scott in 1856-1857, when the eighteenth-century woodwork was removed and again in 1876; further restoration work occurred in 1876 and 1891, but by 1880 the church's appearance was much as it is now.
7. Sir George Gilbert Scott (1811-1878), gothic revival architect; restored the church of St Mary the Less 1856-1857.
8. In 1133 Henry I established Diocese of Carlisle and the Priory Church as its Cathedral.
9. Yorkminster Cathedral.
10. Cambridge