middle of the wall next the Master's garden'. In digging the foundations of these buildings in the gravel it was observed that they came upon water everywhere at a depth of six feet. It also happened that whereas rain had fallen almost without ceasing for two months previously, yet from the fifth day before the commencement of the work to the nineteenth day of the same month, during which time the foundations were so far advanced as to be safe from injury, there was a continuance of fine weather, which the Doctor piously records as an instance of divine favour. The highest and last stone of the west side of the Court was laid on the first of September, 1565, at the third hour after noon. The digging of the foundations of the eastern side began on the 25th of September of the same year, and on the 13th was laid the foundation of the wall dividing Mr Lane's ground from the piece which Dr Caius had bought from him to form the President's garden. [No architect's name is mentioned, and the claims of John of Padua and Theodore Haveus of Cleves are hardly strong enough to warrant the rejection of the more agreeable tradition that Caius was his own architect, and brought the design with him from Padua.] Fig. 3. Foundation Stone of Caius Court, traced from the representation of it in the Annals. In the next year', 1566, Dr Caius gave to the College the stipend of his office, from the feast of the Nativity 1559 to the same feast in the year 1566, for the following purposes: That at the door of the College, which opens to the western garden, should be erected a turret staircase (turris scalaris), ascending from the garden to the three chambers of the Master (fig. 4), and that the end wall of his chambers should be raised vertically into a gable, so as to enlarge the upper room; also that the [Annals, 66. The position is thus described: "Lapis iste positus est in ipsa media longitudine parietis nostri Collegii, qui proximus est horto occidentali, hac figura et inscriptione." Then follows the drawing of the tablet and inscription given above. The history of the foundation is translated almost literally from the Annals. J. L.] "Annals, 74. 3 The words are "Utque paries finalis eiusdem cubiculi perpendiculariter in conum ascendat ad supremum cubiculum ampliandum." steps ascending from the Chapel to the treasury should be finished; and lastly, that a new gateway of squared hard stone should be raised where the door to the schools is placed. All that related to the form and ornament of these works was to be left to his own judgment and di rection. They were commenced in May 1566, and the Master's turretstaircase, with the wall abutting upon it, was completed by October in the same year. In 1570 the Chapel-door which opened into Gonville Court was removed, and a new door opened into the passage which connected the two Colleges (as Dr Caius calls them), or as we should now say "the two Courts." A door was at the same time made on the opposite side of the passage into the Master's lower chamber, so that he might pass from his chamber to the Chapel dryshod. But the Chapel Tower and the Gate of Honour were not built until after Dr Caius' death, which happened July 29, 1573. The exact dates of these works are shewn by an account called "A further summarie table of the whole charges aboute the buildinges of Porta honoris, the Chappell toware, and our founder's Mr Doctor Caius Tombe a 27° Junii 1573° vnto the fynishing of the same 1575°." The Chapel Fig. 4. Master's Turret-Staircase, after Loggan. 1 [The portion relating to the Gate and the Tower runs as follows (Annals, 138): Item for free Stone from Kings clyffe and white Stone from Haselingfeilde, digging and cariage . Item to free Masons and rough Masons for porta honoris and . Item for Lyme from Hinton Item for Sande Item for Iron worke for porta honoris Item to Laborers 18 . 9 4 Tower was an ancient turret stair on the south side, at the junction of the Antechapel with the Chapel, and leading to the chamber over the Antechapel, which at that time and long after was used as the College treasury. According to the Annals "it was now completed by the addition of the upper part; for before it rose only to the eaves. On the vertex a weathercock, in the form of Mercury, was placed; and, on account of its position, Dr Caius named it the Sacred Tower'." [Dr Caius resigned the Mastership of his College on Jan. 27, 1573 : but before he did so, he caused the following account of the cost of the new buildings to be prepared. It precedes in the Annals the account for the Gate and the Tower given above. "A table summarie of all the expenses of our founders Mr Doctor Caius buyldinges from the feste of Ester 1564, vntill the natiuitie of Set John Baptist 1573. Imprimis for trees bought of St Henrie Cromwell out of) Item to Rotherey and his men for their worke by daye from Item for bourdes bought and brought in to the Colledge. Item for Ramsey stone free and ragge, culling, and carriage) Item for freestone from kynges Clyffe and Welden, digging Item for Leade and to the plommer for casting and laying it. Item for stone from Barnewell, digging and carriage. II 24 Item to free Masons from Michaelmas 1564, vntill Mid-) somer 1573. Item to the Carver. Item to roughe Masons. 7 4 II 97 8 2 1 [This tower is shewn in fig. 2. The two suits of moldings that are carried round it at the level of the eaves mark the junction of the old and new work. See Annals, 140. Item to Laborers. Item to Slatters for slatte, tyle, and the workemanshippe. Item for charges extraordinarie. The hole summe of all theis expenses ordinarie and ex-) traordinarie. Besydes the expences omytted by negligense and expences also yet to come for the perfection of the building of the College, and paving of the Courtes of the same."] The buildings which Dr Caius had erected consisted of two parallel ranges of chambers in two stories with garrets above. The western range extended in continuation of the ancient west side of Gonville Court, 114 feet in length, abutting upon the lane on the south (fig. 1). The eastern range was parallel to the former at a distance of 90 feet, and was 7 feet longer on account of the irregularity of the ground. A new quadrangle was thus formed, having these ranges of chambers on the east and west, the ancient Chapel and Lodge on the north, and a wall on the south. In this wall a gateway was placed, the unsymmetrical position of which is determined by the direction of the ancient "Schools Street," to which, as its name imports, it was intended that it should give direct access. A second gateway tower in the east range communicated by an avenue of trees with High Street, where there was a third gate. [The ranges of chambers are 20 feet high to the eaves, and 36 feet high to the ridge of the roof. The windows are pointed, with square heads. They are each of three lights on the side next the Court, except those which light the staircases, which are of a single light (fig. 8). Those which look into the Tree Court (fig. 7), or into the Master's Garden, have never more than two lights. The garrets have no windows towards the Court, but lofty dormers on the op posite side, with windows of two lights (fig. 7). The southern gables are each pierced by two windows of a single Fig. 5. South Gable of the west range light. The chimney flues rise through of Caius Court, with original Chimney. the ridge of the roof (fig. 4): the slender stone chimney-shafts, 1 Annals, 136. 2 Now Senate-House Lane. square in outline, are set diagonally on the flue, in clusters of four, except at the gables, where two only occur together (fig. 5). A small ornamental shaft is inserted in the angle between each pair of shafts. Most of these singularly picturesque structures have unfortunately been altered. The absence of buildings on the south side is a proof of the care and forethought which this skilful physician bestowed upon the plan, as he has attested by his 30th statute, which forbids the erection of any building which shall completely close in the south side of his College, "lest the air, from being confined within a narrow space should become foul, and so do harm to us, and still more to Gonvile's College." The same anxiety for cleanliness appears in his 78th statute (De Atrii munditie), which enacts that any one who throws dirt or offal into the Court, or who airs beds or bed-linen there, shall be fined three shillings and fourpence. The following curious passage in his will illustrates this part of the subject: Item, I will y' there be maynteyned a lustie and healthie honest true and unmaried man of fortie yeares of age and upwardes, to kepe cleane and swete the pavementes and gutters without the gates, so far as the necessarie places do nede, and likewise within my Colledge, and doe safely loke and attend to the gates to open and shutt them at lawfull and due tymes, and to light the lanternes in wynter in places appoynted in the sayd Colledge, and he to have for his stipende fortie shillings by the yeare, with his chamber free, and once in a yeare to give him a gowne and rug with my armes in a scutchion to be sett thereon, as my almes man'." 1 [The Statutes and the Will are printed in Commiss. Doct. ii. 241-365.] |