THE CHANGE OF STYLE.

We have seen that during the half-century which intervened between 1125 and 1175 an immense number of churches were built or rebuilt in England, and that the art of building consequently made rapid progress, the work becoming every year better executed, more highly finished, and of lighter character, it being one of the characteristics of a good workman not to waste his material. In the early Norman period the masonry was very bad, and, to make the work secure, great masses of material were used; but at the period to which we have now arrived the masonry is as good as at any subsequent period, and the workmen were fast discovering the various modes of economizing their material. This practice, in combination with other causes, tended greatly to introduce the change of style, and to facilitate its ready and rapid adoption, in the generality of cases, when introduced. The custom of vaulting over large spaces, which was now being commonly adopted, and the difficulty of vaulting over spaces of unequal span, also without doubt contributed largely to the use of the pointed arch".

"This was pointed out by Mr. Saunders in a paper on the origin of Gothic Architecture read before the Society of Antiquaries so long ago as 1811, and in another essay on vaults by Mr. Ware in 1812, both printed in the 17th volume of the Archæologia. This view has since been more clearly brought out by Dr. Whewell in his ingenious and clever essay on the Churches of Germany; and although the churches near the Rhine, from which his examples are taken, are of a subsequent date, the principle remains the same. Professor Willis also, in his excellent work on the Churches of Italy, has further illustrated the same principle, and greatly improved upon the works of his predecessors.

In the work at Fountain's Abbey already mentioned, the aisles are vaulted, and the width of the aisle being greater than the space between the pillars, it follows that each compartment, or bay, of the vault was not square, but oblong; the greater length being across the aisle, where we have the semicircular arch or arch-ribs to carry the vault, the narrower space being from pillar to pillar towards the choir: we have there the pointed arch, and thus we have a succession of semicircular arches down the length of the aisle, and a range of pointed arches towards the choir, and the same on each side. But although this may account for the use of the pointed arch, it is still quite distinct from the Gothic style; we have it at Fountain's in pure Norman work half a century before we have the same arrangement again at Canterbury, in the work of William of Sens after the fire. Here, however, we have not only the pointed arch, but it is accompanied by a general change of style,-all the accessories are undergoing a rapid change. The mouldings, the ornaments, the sculpture, and all other details are of a more highly finished and a lighter style.

It happens fortunately that just at this principal turning-point in the history of architecture a most valuable record has been preserved to us, by an eye-witness, of the progress of the great work at Canterbury, year by year from the time of the fire to the completion of the work. The researches of Professor Willis have enabled us to verify Gervase's description by the existing fabric, and to mark out with certainty the work of each year. The progressive change in the character of the work is very remarkable. At first it is almost pure Norman, though late; this is the work of the first year, 1175, and before its completion in 1184 it has gradually changed into almost pure Early English (64).

64. Canterbury Cathedral. Exterior and Interior Elevations of the Compartments of the Choir, shewing the changes between A.D. 1096-1130; and 1175-1178. A similar change took place in nearly all the large churches of Europe about the same periods.

A B. Pillar of old work.

C. Triforium passage, or Clear-story
gallery, in old work.

D. Arch of old work.
E. Window of Crypt.
F. Window of Aisle.

G. Window of Triforium in new work.
LL. Clear-story Window of old work.
MM. Clear-story Window of newwork.

a b. Pillar of new work.
c. String-course.

de. Tabling of new work.
ef. Eaves of old work.

g. Roof of Aisle.

hi. Tabling under the new Clearstory.

ik. Top of the old wall.

For these illustrations, and some others, I am indebted to Professor Willis's "History of Canterbury." Any one wishing to understand the subject thoroughly must study that work for himself.

In the beginning of the fourth year from the commencement of the work, that is, in 1179, the scaffolding gave way under the architect, William of Sens, who fell from the height of fifty feet; but, though much injured, he was not killed, and he continued for some months to direct the works from his bed, with the help of a young monk whom he had selected for the purpose, and who afterwards carried on the work on his own responsibility, with the help of such advice and instructions as he had received from the master. The successor was called 'William the Englishman.' The change of style became more rapid after this period, but there does not seem ground for supposing that it would have been otherwise, had William of Sens been able himself to complete the work he had so well begun. Much of the credit, however, must belong to his successor, who is described by Gervase as "William by name, English by nation, small in body, but in workmanship of many kinds acute and honest." As was frequently the case, the pupil was in advance of his master; but William of Sens was much restricted by the necessity of making his choir correspond with the old work preserved in the aisles, whereas his successor was freed from this restraint, the old work not extending to the eastern chapel, or corona; and in the transepts, which were out of sight from the choir, the newer style was more freely adopted.

There are many striking points of resemblance in the Cathedral of Sens to that of Canterbury; there is also a remarkable coincidence in the history of the two cathedrals, Sens having been damaged and the roof burnt by a great fire in 1184, the very year that Canterbury was finished. This involved the necessity of re

G

building the central vault and clear-story, which are at least half a century later than the aisles and arcades.

A considerable part of the cathedral of Lisieux, in Normandy, is of very similar character to Sens and Canterbury, and quite as much advanced in style, with pointed arches and transitional mouldings it is also of the same date as Sens, 1143-1182o. It was built by Arnulf, who was bishop forty years; and the part which belongs to this period comprises the western part of the choir and the transepts, with the exceptions of the central vault and clearstory, which, as at Sens, have been added or rebuilt about half a century later. The church at Lisieux was completed by Bishop Jordan du Hommet, 1197-1214, and to this period belong the eastern part of the choir, with the apse, and probably the clearstory and central vault. The arches in the early part of the choir are obtusely pointed and not recessed, but with mouldings on the angles; the capitals are of rude Corinthian, and the bases have foot-ornaments. In the later parts we have lancet windows and Gothic mouldings, and the round abacus is used, as in England.

The Hospital of St John, at Angers, built by King Henry the Second, 1177-1184, is a very remarkable specimen of transitional work; the arches and the vaulting are pure Gothic, while the windows are still round-headed and Romanesque. The choir of the cathedral of Poictiers, with its square east end, also built by Henry the Second, about the same time, is very similar in style-advanced transition.

Canterbury, as has been pointed out, is the earliest and the bestauthenticated example of the change of style in England which we possess, and it enables us to fix a precise date to this great change; it serves as a type for very many others which were being carried on simultaneously, or soon after. The contrast drawn by Gervase between the old church and the new one has been already quoted in describing the earlier Norman work, and need not here be repeated. It will be sufficient to say that the masonry and the sculpture in the new work are both excellent, and that the peculiar ornament known by the name of the 'tooth-ornament' occurs abundantly in the new work the mouldings, especially of the bases, are almost of pure Early English character.

• Vide Robertus de Monte, apud Gall. Christ., vol. ii. fol. 649.