British Aisles Gothic Architecture

• The British Isles had tenuous political relations with France and therefore refused to directly copy any of their styles in gothic architecture.
• The characters/eras of English Gothic Architecture are:

  • Norman Gothic
  • Transitional Gothic
  • Early English Gothic "Lancet" / First Pointed
  • Decorated Gothic "Curvilinear" / Second Pointed
  • Perpendicular Gothic "Rectilinear" / Third Pointed
  • Tudor Gothic / Late Perpendicular
  • Elizabethan Gothic
• Norman Gothic still used semi-circular arches and is also called "English Romanesque"
• Transitional Gothic saw the introduction of pointed arches
• Early English Gothic, also called "Lancet" and "First Pointed Style" had long, pointed, narrow windows— quadripartite vaults, and clustered window shafts
• Decorated Gothic or "Curvilinear" and "Second Pointed" had fanciful tracery windows. It also had two periods, namely: 'Decorated Geometric' and 'Decorated Curvilinear'
• Decorated Geometric is characterized by lights surmounted by a circle
• Decorated Curvilinear is characterized by flowing tracery in leaf and dagger shapes
• Perpendicular Gothic or "Rectilinear" and "Third Pointed" has stong vertical lines in its window tracery
• Tudor Gothic or "Late Perpendicular" saw the change from the pointed styles to plainer Renaissance styles
• Tudor Gothic has five distinct features:

  • Oriel Windows
  • Four Centered Arch / Tudor Arch
  • Timber Frame
  • Half Timbering
  • Broach Spire
• Oriel windows are projected from the wall of upper floors
• Tudor Arches are low, wide, and drafted in two types: double-chamfered and single-chamfered
• Half timbering is when the exterior of a building has exposed wood framing, it is also called "Black and White"
• Elizabethan Gothic was the transition to the Renaissance Era, with a shift from pointed & ornate to plainer & symmetrical styles— with symmetry showing in both the architecture and the gardens.
• Hampton Court is the most prominent example of the Elizabethan Gothic style
• Early English Vaulting had quadripartite ribbed vaults— it is also when fromets or wall ribs came into use
• Decorated Vaulting saw the development of Lierne Ribs that created the iconic "star" shapes of Stellar Vaulting
• Perpendicular Vaulting had a more intricate style of Stellar Vaulting called "Fan Vaulting", "Palm Vaulting", or "Conoidal Vaulting"
• Tudor Vaulting retained the use of fan vaulting with the integration of Tudor Arches— as well as lowered, elongated bosses called "Pendants"
• Trussed-Rafter roofs were used for structural support
• Tie-Beam roofs were the simplest form of roofs where two rafters pitched against each other with a tie-beam inserted
• Hammer-Beam roofs allow for a greater span than any other piece of timber
• Double Hammer Beam roofs are decorative, open truss roofs that are often called "The most spectacular endeavor of the medieval English carpenter"
• Collar-Braced roofs are simplified hammer beam roofs
• Ailse roofs are a mere continuation of the rafters of the nave
• Fan Vaulting

  
• Tudor Vaulting

  
• Trussed-Rafter Roof

  
• Tie-Beam Roof

  
• Hammer Beam Roof

  
• Double Hammer Beam Roof

  
• Collar Braced Roof

  
• Stellar Vaulting

  
• Quadripartite Ribbed Vaulting

  
• Canterbury Cathedral is a mixture of romanesque that has been rebuilt in the gothic style
• Exeter Cathedral is a Decorated Gothic cathedral nicknamed "Par Excellence"— it has the longest uninterrupted vault ceiling and a magnificent west front that is covered with a decorated "Image Screen"
• Gloucester Cathedral is a fusion of the Norman and Perpendicular Gothic styles— it is known to have additions from every gothic style
• King's College Chapel houses the world's largest fan vaulting and stained glass windows. It was built in three phases and has paneling applied to everything
• Lichfield Cathedral was built over the shrine of St. Chad, known for having a great sculpture gallery and its Pedivalium — a vestibule for washing the feet