EARLY ENGLISH, 1189-1272

IN the Early English period knowledge of the true principles of architectural design and construction advanced considerably—mouldings and carving attained the highest refinement, and the work of the Early English period is admitted to be the purest of the Gothic style.

Improved scientific construction is most evident in the walls. The development of stone-vaulted roofs (a protection against fire) carried by arched ribs brought down the incumbent load on to the walls, producing thrusts upon them which had to be provided against. The old manner of making the wall of great thickness was wasteful and unsatisfactory. The happy idea of the Gothic buttress fulfilled all the requirements, and produced one of the most beautiful features of the Gothic style. It was built in diminishing stages, its outline enclosing the graceful parabolic curve of nature—the path of the combined thrusts and their opposing reactions. This structure was carried to perfection when combined with the flying-buttress (Plate VII., Fig. 10), which conducted the thrust from the lofty wall of the nave over the external roof of the aisle by an arch on the wall-buttress, which was strengthened to do its work by the addition of a heavy pinnacle. Plate V., Fig. 9, from Lichfield Cathedral, shows two buttresses of the Lancet period built to meet the thrust of the ribs carrying the vaulting of the Chapter-house and Library over. In one of these the approximate direction of the thrusts is indicated by the arrows a, b, which, if unopposed, would cause a collapse; the ultimate deflection of their path by the weight of the superincumbent masonry is indicated by dotted lines within the buttress, thereby producing equilibrium through the opposing resistance from the foundations along the same path.

In Plate V., Figs. 10 and 11, the piers had columns surrounding them whose shafts in the Lancet period were detached, but connected at their extremities by moulded stone bands (A, B), and at the bases and capitals. These piers were sometimes carried to a great height, as those in Westminster Abbey, which have three of these stone bands in their height. In the Geometrical period the shafts formed part of the main pier, were not detached, and resembled mouldings (Plate V., Fig. 11). Such shafts were described as engaged.

Plate V., Fig. 7, shows a tower with a broach-spire belonging to the Early English period. In the figure the four broaches are the small pyramids covering the squinch arches or squinch corbels, which carried four of the eight sides of the octagonal spire across the angles of the tower.

Plate V., Fig. 4, shows three Lancet windows under a single arch or dripstone. This grouping of the windows soon suggested the design of tracery windows, in which the lights are separated by mullions, the simplest form being as represented in the Lichfield Chapter-house in Plate V., Fig. 9. Geometrical arrangements were invented from the simple one (Plate V., Fig. 5) to the elaborate windows and arcades of Westminster Abbey. Cusps (spear points) were formed in the tracery, the Soffit-cusp (s.c.) projecting from the underside of the mullion, indicating early work and uncommon. All other cusps were worked on the chamfer (c.c), their points being variously shaped.

In Plate V., Fig. 8, the capitals were either moulded, or carved with stiff-leaf foliage, being conventional—i.e., designed on natural principles, but not in imitation of nature, and sometimes of great beauty, but never so delicate as to suggest its unsuitability to the material in which it was wrought. Hollows in the arch and other mouldings were enriched with the tooth ornament (Plate V., Fig. 12), which occurs in the Lancet period only.

Plate V., Fig. 2, shows the decoration of gables with crockets and finial.

Plate V., Fig. 3, shows diaper ornaments used in wall decoration.

Plate V., Fig. 6, shows a string course and dripstone. All mouldings consist of large rounds and deep hollows, separated by fillets (a, b), and are frequently arranged in extensive groups, as in doorways, arcading, etc.

The Cathedral of Salisbury is the only one which is throughout belonging to the Early English period.