English Gothic is the name of the architectural style that flourished in England from about 1180 until about 1520. As with the Gothic architecture of other parts of Europe, English Gothic is defined by its pointed arches, vaulted roofs, buttresses, large windows, and spires. The Gothic style was introduced from France, where the various elements had first been used together within a single building at the choir of the Basilique Saint-Denis north of Paris, built by the Abbot Suger and dedicated in June 1144.
The earliest large-scale applications of Gothic architecture in England are at Canterbury Cathedral and Westminster Abbey. Many features of Gothic architecture had evolved naturally from Romanesque architecture (often known in England as Norman architecture). This evolution can be seen most particularly at the Norman Durham Cathedral which has the earliest pointed ribbed high vault known.
Gothic architecture was to develop along lines that are sometimes in parallel with and sometimes diverse from those of continental Europe. Historians traditionally divide English Gothic into a number of different periods, which may be further subdivided to accurately define different styles. Gothic architecture continued to flourish in England for a hundred years after the precepts of Renaissance architecture were formalized in Florence in the early 15th century. The Gothic style gave way to the Renaissance in the latter 16th and 17th centuries, but was revived in the late 18th century as an academic style and had great popularity as Gothic Revival architecture throughout the 19th century.
Many of the largest and finest works of English architecture, notably the medieval cathedrals of England are largely built in the Gothic style. So also are castles, palaces, great houses, universities, and many smaller unpretentious secular buildings, including almshouses and trade halls. Another important group of Gothic buildings in England are the parish churches, which, like the medieval cathedrals, are often of earlier, Norman foundation.
The Designation of styles in English Gothic architecture follow conventional labels given them by the antiquary Thomas Rickman, who coined the terms in his Attempt to Discriminate the Style of Architecture in England (1812−1815). Historians sometimes refer to the styles as "periods", eg "Perpendicular period" in much the same way as an historical era may be referred to as the "Tudor period". The various styles are seen at their most fully developed in the cathedrals, abbey churches and collegiate buildings. It is, however, a distinctive characteristic of the cathedrals of England that all but one of them, Salisbury Cathedral, show great stylistic diversity and have building dates that typically range over 400 years.
- Early English (c. 1180−1275)
- Decorated (c. 1275−1380)
- Perpendicular (c. 1380−1520)
Notable examples
The earliest examples of the Perpendicular Period, dating from 1360, are found at Gloucester Cathedral, where the masons of the cathedral would seem to have been far in advance of those in other towns; the fan-vaulting in the is cloisters particularly fine.
Among other buildings of note are:
- the Quire and tower of York Minster (1389–1407);
- the nave and western transepts of Canterbury Cathedral (1378–1411),
- the tower, towards the end of the 15th century; New College, Oxford (1380–1386);
- the Beauchamp Chapel, Warwick (1381–1391);
- the remodelling of the nave and aisles of Winchester Cathedral (1399–1419);
- the transept and tower of Merton College, Oxford (1424–1450);
- Manchester Cathedral (1422);
- the central tower of Gloucester Cathedral (1454–1457),
- the central tower of Magdalen College, Oxford (1475–1480).
Links
- Pevsner Architectural Guides’ Looking at Buildings website: Gothic Windows and Tracery
- Photographs of English Gothic Cathedrals
- Website with well-illustrated description of Exeter Cathedral
- BTinternet architectural timeline
Incoming search terms:
- english building gothic
- english gothic architecture features