(B5) HISTORY OF GOTHIC ARCHITECTURE

Gothic architecture as a style across Europe lasted from the mid-12th century to the 16th century. One of the first iterations of these buildings was the Abbey of Saint-Denis, Paris (c. 1135-44) see below. Characterised by its large spaces (or cavernous) and walls decorated with large stain glass windows with tracery - look at key features blog.

12th -13th century, advances within the engineering sector permitted gigantic buildings. The rib-vault, flying buttress and pointed arch were solutions to the building integrity whilst also maintaining a large amount of natural light flooding the interior, T. Editors of Encyclopaedia (2020), Richman-Abdou, K. (2017). The focus of architecture was no longer based purely on practicality and purpose but, had moved onto the design of the building, its complexities and what makes it beautiful. Architecture had now been reborn as an art form.

Abbey of Saint-Denis, Paris (c. 1135-44)

The years of High Gothic were heralded by the Chartres Cathedral, were dominated by France, Britain, Germany and Spain produced their own variations of the Gothic style however, Italian Gothic was the most noticeably different as the buildings were built with brick rather than stone. Other late gothic styles include the British 'Perpendicular style' and the Spanish Norman Flamboyant style.

The article moves on to talk about the Flamboyant style, I skipped and looked more into the British Perpendicular style, this is more relevant to my project. I decided that it would make sense to look at one style and location as the subject matter is so large - see "The Perpendicular Style" and "Leeds Gothic Architecture" blogs.

Thomas Rickman was the man responsible for dividing British Gothic into four periods/ styles; Norman (1066-1200), Early English (1200-1275), Decorated (1275-1375) and finally, Perpendicular Gothic (1375-1530+), Rickman, T (1817). This has made me wonder whether I should look at all four styles or just the Perpendicular style that I had stated before. I had not realised there was more than one British Gothic style. 

Preceden (2021) Timeline of Gothic Architecture

It should be noted that like many creative movements, there are no specific dates, merely approximates, Ross, D (2021). It is astonishing to see how long it takes to construct a Gothic building. It really indicates the level of detail put into the design and structure. This timeline will also help understand the development of Gothic Architecture over time and how the style varies depending on its location.