The English Church

The medieval church represents perhaps the most important local place for any settlement and has a lot to tell us about the local landscape developed over a period. The Norman’s helped in shaping the landscape and trying to bring people to worship within their own communities. This saw a massive change in building of churches, cathedrals, monasteries and castles in stone. Although it is worth to mention that, the replacement of wooden churches in stone was already in progress before the Norman Conquest in 1066.

The early architectural style of the medieval church was known as Romanesque. The church was cruciform in plan consisting of a nave, which can be circular, apsidal, and a central tower. The arches may have been decorated with carved mouldings using carved pattern also known as a zigzag and the interior of the medieval church’s wall plaster became highly decorated.

The 12^th century saw a change in architectural styles of churches, which was called Transitional phase dating from c1170 to c1120 during which there was a change from the Romanesque architect to Gothic architecture. The Gothic architect changes the round-headed arches and windows to those, which rose to a point. Pointed arches and rib vault ceilings that enabled the walls to be built higher, to the west end of the church they could have been Bell towers.

Early English Gothic or first pointed is the true Gothic phase dating from c1220 to c1290. The windows of the church now were tall and pointed and were known as lancet windows, the decorations of carved foliage and mouldings become more common in this period. The spires began to be placed onto towers, which were covered in lead. Flying buttresses or arches buttresses began to be used were in the form of an arch design.

Gradually the early English style developed in to more highly Decorated Gothic dating from c1290 to c1350. The Decorated Gothic consists of more numbers of lights and elaborate tracery in windows vaulting became even more complex. Sedalia or two or three seats were now seen in the south walls of the chancel near the altar, the piscina a basin used by the priest for ritual washing was near to the Sedalia.

The late 14^th century Perpendicular Gothic style lasted well in to the 16^th century arches changed from pointed to flatter arches and windows were often framed by a rectangular outline. Towers became even higher with rich decorations, which included intricately carved timber roofs, and ceilings became more common in this period

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