PLATE III
PLATE III
Plate III
NORMAN, 1066-1189
THE Norman period dates from A.D. 1066, though the Norman manner of building had been adopted after the year 1000, when church building was revived after suspension in anticipation of the Millennium, which was expected to bring the end of the world. That dreaded year having safely passed, church building was vigorously revived. Timber construction had led to frequent disaster by fire, and as larger buildings were now required, better construction became imperative. Masonry must supersede carpentry in wall construction, and the necessary skilled labour came from Normandy.
The influx of superior talent following the Norman Conquest resulted in great improvement in every department of building. Stately cathedrals were founded, each for the reception of the cathedra or throne of the bishop. Abbeys and monasteries and parish churches for the clergy were built throughout the land, as proved by the existence of Norman work in most parts of the country.
Every period of English Gothic architecture has certain forms appearing in the general composition and details which help to fix the period to which they belong. In the Norman the square and the circle, the right angle and the semicircle, are the prevailing figures suggestive of strength and severity so evident in the impressive naves of Ely, Peterborough, Norwich, Gloucester, Tewkesbury, and the fortress-like cathedral of Durham.
[Plate III.] gives a few details of work of the Norman period. The term pier ([Plate III.], Fig. 1) defines the pillars or masses of masonry supporting the arches between the nave and aisles of a church. This example ([Plate III.], Fig. 1), from St. John’s Chapel in the White Tower of London, William the Conqueror’s residence, is circular with a square capital chamfered down to the circular pier, and has a slightly moulded abacus (the crowning moulding of a capital).