THE BROCHURE SERIES |
| PLATE XCI | LITCHFIELD CATHEDRAL FROM NORTHWEST |
THE | ||
| 1900. | DECEMBER | No. 12. |
THE CATHEDRALS OF ENGLAND
Such a general survey of the mostrepresentative English cathedrals asis undertaken in the present articlenaturally leaves no space for a detailedconsideration of thevarious diversities ofarchitecture thatthey present, andfuture issues of thisseries will be devotedto illustrating, individually,the variousdevelopments of theEnglish Gothic style.The characteristicfeatures of the EnglishGothic cathedrals,as comparedwith those of the Continent,and particularlywith those inFrance, are as follows:—
The English minstersare long, narrowand low in contrastwith the greatersquareness and heightof French contemporarychurches. TheEnglish transeptshave bolder projections, and the number ofside chapels is smaller. The east end isalmost invariably square. The aisles arepractically always single; Chichester is theonly example to the contrary. The centraltower is a predominant feature; and asingle western tower is characteristic ofEnglish early churches. Flying buttresses,though not uncommon, are not so prominentas in French cathedrals. Doorwaysare more simple,placed in less importantpositions, andoften provided witha separate elaborateporch, as at Salisbury.Window traceries,though developingalong the same linesas in France, finallyevolve "Perpendicular"instead of"Flamboyant" tracery.The beautifulfan-tracery vaultingis an important featureof EnglishGothic, and is peculiarto it. The clusteredshaft is a special featureof the style.Great emphasis wasplaced by the Englisharchitects on thedevelopment ofmouldings; and thegenerally smallerscale of English work lead to greater refinementand attention to detail in carving.
| CHICHESTER CATHEDRAL | FROM NORTHEAST |
Perhaps the most striking difference betweenthe English and the Continentalcathedral, is however, in its situation. In