Gothic Architecture

Gothic Architecture Architectural History ACT 322 Doris Kemp

Topics • Gothic Architecture in England • Canterbury Cathedral • Salisbury Cathedral • Lincoln Cathedral • King’s College, Cambridge • Westminster Abbey

Gothic Architecture in England • Although Gothic architecture originated in France, it spread throughout Europe • Became the predominant style through the 15th century • The English would soon form their own Gothic aesthetics • Within a century they had created Gothic churches that varied considerably from those in France

Gothic Architecture in England • Canterbury Cathedral • First Gothic style church in England • The choir was originally intended to house England’s most popular shrine • Thomas Becket • Archbishop of Canterbury who was murdered by Henry VIII’s men • Became a sacred pilgrimage site • Belief that miracles were performed at the tomb of St. Thomas

Gothic Architecture in England Photo: Sullivan

Gothic Architecture in England • Salisbury Cathedral • Presents the rare example of an English Gothic cathedral built almost entirely in homogenous style (purely English) • Begun in 1220 and finished by 1258 • Incorporates features from monastic plans into a purely English long angular building • Features a tower rising some 404-ft and a spire providing vertical emphasis

Gothic Architecture in England • Lincoln Cathedral • Had a more complicated building history • Originally a Norman church that was destroyed by an earthquake in 1185 • The original survives only in lower portions of the western front • Rebuilding began in 1192 and was completed in 1280 • The Angel Choir • Wealth of elaborate trim in the form of Purbeck marble shafts, stiff-leaf capitols, and sculpted angels

Gothic Architecture in England • Wells Cathedral • Widely regarded as one of the finest English cathedrals • Also one of the first English Gothic buildings • Dates back to at least 1186 and possibly a decade earlier • To strengthen the lower piers, scissor-shaped arches were built in 1338 • Modest structure • Vaults are only 67-ft high

Gothic Architecture in England • Cathedral Chapterhouse, Southwell • Contains some of the finest carvings of the English Gothic period • Built around 1290 • Plants from the surrounding countryside were used as a model for much of the decorative work

Gothic Architecture in England • Ely Cathedral • Large scale structure built of timber • One of the few Christian churches in existence were Christ is depicted without a beard • In 1322, due to structural problems, the tower was replaced with a wooden lantern • Increased the lighting and usable space at the heights

Gothic Architecture in England • King’s College, Cambridge • Began about 1446 and finished 1515 • Built in a time were the sermon served as an important part of church service • Built on a simpler plan and smaller area to reduce reverberation time so that speech could be understood • Basically rectangular in plan • Features perpendicular tracery in the large windows and majestic fan vaults overhead

Gothic Architecture in England • King’s College, Cambridge • The ornate organ loft atop the choir divides the space into two parts • One for townspeople • One for students • Similar style to the High Renaissance Period in Northern Italy

Gothic Architecture in England • Westminster Abbey • Building begun in 1245 • Located in London Photo: Sullivan

References • Sullivan, Mary; http://www.bluffton.edu/~sullivanm/ • http://www.brynmawr.edu/Acads/Cities/wld/wdpt1.html • Trachtenburg/Hyman; Architecture: From Prehistory to Postmodernity • Wodehouse/Moffett; A History of Western Architecture

Gothic Architecture Architectural History ACT 322 Doris Kemp

Gothic Architecture