The niches are filled
with statues of the Kings of England from William the Conqueror to Henry
VI. The statue of Henry VI. alone is modern. It has been said that the
original statue of this king was regarded with so much reverence as to
have aroused the anger of the iconoclasts of the Reformation. At any
rate, it was destroyed, and an image of James I. set in its place. This
has been happily removed in the present century, and a statue of Henry
VI., a fair work, by the hand of Michael Taylor, a local sculptor, has
been inserted. The original statues are unusually good for their period,
and it has been suggested that the details of their dress show some
consideration for historical correctness. The same consideration was not
given to the hair, for it has been pointed out that the Normans were
clean-shaven and wore short hair, whereas the statues of the Norman
kings have beards, moustaches, and long hair. The kings are dressed in
robes of state. The legs of Stephen alone are exposed. The hands of the
Conqueror are broken off. On the pedestals are the names of the kings,
with the length of their reigns.
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