#MEDIEVAL ARCHITECTURE TIMELINE SERIES#

Muscular pillars and round-headed arches make Durham one of the most imposing Norman buildings in England. The choir was extended in the Gothic style between 12. The structure was completed in 1097, providing a colonial stronghold and a powerful symbol of Norman domination.ĭurham Cathedral was begun by Bishop William de St Carilef in 1093 and completed about 1175. White Tower, at the heart of the Tower of London, was begun by Bishop Gundulf in 1078 on the orders of William the Conqueror. These were dark, primitive structures of one or two rooms, usually with crude timber frames, low walls and thatched roofs. Such people didn't matter very much to the ruling elite and so neither did their houses. The rambling manor houses of the later Middle Ages, however, were primarily homes, their owners achieving respect and maintaining status by their hospitality and good lordship rather than the grandeur of their buildings.įitness for purpose also characterised the homes of the poorer classes. Castles served their particular purpose and their battlements and turrets were for use rather than ornament. The great cathedrals and parish churches that lifted up their towers to heaven were not only acts of devotion in stone they were also fiercely functional buildings. And it is all the more remarkable because the underlying ethos of medieval architecture was 'fitness for purpose'. And although the Anglo-Saxons had a sophisticated building style of their own, little survives to bear witness to their achievements as the vast majority of Anglo-Saxon buildings were made of wood.Įven so, the period between the Norman landing at Pevensey in 1066 and the day in 1485 when Richard III lost his horse and his head at Bosworth, ushering in the Tudors and the Early Modern period, marks a rare flowering of British building. Romano-British culture - and that included architecture along with language, religion, political organisation and the arts - survived long after the Roman withdrawal. Written with style and humour, the lively text includes many quotations from ancient sources, providing a fascinating insight into the way that medieval buildings were created, and in the process enlivening study of this period.However, the truth is not as simple as that. Symbolic meanings associated with architecture are also thoroughly investigated. Ranging from Gotland to Apulia, the richness and variety of European architecture is explored in terms of the social and religious aspirations of the time. In addition to analysing the language of the Romanesque, the book examines the engineering achievements of the builders, and clearly how the great monuments of the age were designed and constructed.

By avoiding the traditional emphasis on chronological development, Roger Stalley provides a radically new approach to the subject, exploring issues and themes rather than sequences and dates.

Major architectural innovations were made during this time including the medieval castle, the church spire, and the monastic cloister. The early middle ages were an exciting period in the history of European architecture, culminating in the development of the Romanesque style. Oxford Research Encyclopedias: Global Public Health.

#MEDIEVAL ARCHITECTURE TIMELINE SERIES#

The European Society of Cardiology Series.

Oxford Commentaries on International Law.

Medieval architecture timeline