Enjoying Gothic Architecture in England

One of the excessive joys in life is enjoying beautiful architecture. Durham is not only surrounded by a splendid nature but the city itself is also full of wonderful architecture. We, as humans, often take this privilege of marvellous architecture for granted without ever asking the question of their origins. Still, one should not forget that every edifice has a unique story to tell. Numerous reasons are behind these narratives, such as personal interests, surroundings and financial capacities.

In this short article, I want to write concisely about Gothic architecture and how we can start analysing it. From the very first moment Gothic Architecture sprung up, the architectural world of Europe was on the verge of tremendous change. Whereas Romanesque architecture was massive and horizontally orientated, Gothic architecture was more light and vertically orientated. A new architectural era of dynamics was born in which the sky was the limit.

The Gothic style originated from France around the year 1140 A.D. The Saint-Denis abbey church in Paris  is often referred to as the symbolic start of Gothic architecture is where it all started. Abbot Sugar started and organized this ground-breaking project. His innovative insights came were derived from the numerous churches he investigated throughout his extensive travels in Western Europe. From the collected data, he envisioned a dream: to make the best church possible. After hard labour, his dream was finally realised in the Basilique royale de Saint-Denis.  

Many churches erected after him were still characterized by a mixture between Romanesque and Gothic architecture. The name Gothic nowadays does not seem to possess a negative connotation, however, the etymology of ‘Gothic’ goes back to the Goths. Since the Goths were nomads from the East who sacked and looted many villages and cities during their conquests, they were often considered as synonymous to barbarism in the eyes of the local Western Europeans. As Mr Fergusson mentions: “all the styles invented and used by the Western barbarians who overthrew the Roman empire, and settled within its limits.”

England

Gothic architecture can be seen as a unified style during much of the middle ages in Europe. Yet, when one compares different periods and countries a rich plethora can be noticed in stylistic differences. We will look at one famous English cathedral  which is the Lincoln Cathedral and try to analyse a small part of it. First of all, this building cannot be captured in a specific building period as it displays the development from Romanesque till the Decorated Gothic style. As John Ruskin (1819-1900) mentions: “I have always held, and am prepared against all comers to maintain, that the Cathedral of Lincoln is out and out the most precious piece of architecture in the British Isles, and, roughly speaking, worth any two other cathedrals we have.” Probably, he did not knew the Durham cathedral that well.

An architectural style is like a specific language: while every language is distinct, it still shares many similarities with other languages in the same family language. Many persons can recognise the difference between Romanesque and Gothic architecture without ever studying it in depth, in the same way that one can differentiate the Spanish language from the German or even the French language. One of the first useful steps is to understand the style in which the building is built. By starting to look at a façade, one can become overwhelmed by the enormity of various architectural elements. That is why it is important to see how every building element relates with the whole edifice. I sometimes think that architecture can be compared with sheet music. By looking at a sheet of music, one can divide it into various parts and components. The same holds true for a building façade. Another aspect is that a Cathedral is often packed with symbolism, and in order to understand the symbolism well, sufficient background information is crucial.

Analysis Cathedral

A good starting point in analysing a façade is to make a boundary line around the main volume, so that the actual shape in now pinned down. The next step is that one puts a grid over the building so that the relations between parts, lengths, locations etc., become easier to understand. The third step consists of searching for the basic geometrical shapes of squares, rectangles, triangles, cones and circles. Lastly, one has to use a new paper if one finds more interesting patterns because too many lines can make the findings extremely chaotic. Here, I just provided four simple steps when it comes to the basic start of analysing a façade. Of course, there are many more tactics involved, such as the golden ratio, proportions,  about the building and so on. Nevertheless, you can take my advice as a basic guide for approaching a façade.

The decoration pattern of church windows was by the 14^th century still in development. At the moment the Rose window was  developed, it had regular geometrical forms made up for creating windows. Especially the pointed arches or circles were favourable. This made it possible to draw the whole design of this stunning window with a compasses. The manner in which the window was designed with a compass serves also as a hint: when analysing the façade, many motives can be taken into consideration but the most noticeable are the 3 circles that made this piece so special and flow forth of the uses of the compass.

Final Remark

There is much more to be said about architecture and I hope that this short writing awakened the curiosity about the story behind magnificent designs that surround us and the enjoyment that comes with it. So when you are sitting outside and observe the famous Durham Cathedral or even the small but gorgeous URC church building, you can take some moment and analyse it for yourself.

Used Recourses

Heuvel, W. J., & Verbrugge, B. D. (2005). Geschiedenis van de bouwkunst. Utrecht [etc.: ThiemeMeulenhoff].
Milner, L. (2017). LINCOLN CATHEDRAL TREASURE HOUSE. The Antiquaries Journal, 97, 205-229.
Summerson, J. (2011). The classical language of architecture. London: Thames & Hudson.
Smith, T. R., Crombie, F., & University of St. Andrews. (1880). Architecture gothic and renaissance by T. Roger Smith, F.R.I.B.A. occasional lecturer on architecture at University College, London. London: Sampson Low, Marston, Searle, & Rivington Crown Buildings, 188, Fleet Street.
Sites
https://lincolncathedral.com/floorplan/ visited on 16-07-2020
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TuA00wpXaYA visited on 16-07-2020
https://learninglandscapes.blogs.lincoln.ac.uk/2012/10/22/the-cathedral-terrace/ visited on 16-07-2020
http://scihi.org/abbot-suger-gothic-style/ visited on 22-07-2020.
Pictures
A: https://pixabay.com/photos/lincoln-cathedral-landmark-2332070/ visited on 22-07-2020. Beautiful wide façade of the cathedral.
B:http://www.medart.pitt.edu/image/England/Lincoln/Cathedral/Plans/Mainlincolncathplans.html visited on 22-07-2020 (Analyses, Richard Frankhuizen).
C: Fig. 20.—Rose Window from the Transept of Lincoln Cathedral. (1342-1347.) Architecture gothic and renaissance by T. Roger Smith p.50.