Early English Gothic

The Early English period, although not the first Gothic Period ever, was the first to make its way to England. It is also referred to as the “Lancet style” and the “First Pointed style”. The Early English period spans the years from approximately 1200-1300, and focused on simple lines instead of fancy decoration.

Height was emphasized in architecture from the Early English period, but the main difference between it and the preceding Romanesque period (also known as the Norman period) is the pointed arch. Because arches could span greater distances and support a larger amount of weight, vaults could be built taller and wider, walls could become thinner, and windows larger. The larger windows allowed stained glass to be usedmore and more frequently.

This period brought with it the introduction of flying buttresses in place of the simple buttresses used in the Romanesque period. Although the flying buttresses did help distribute the weight of the walls and ceiling, they would not make a large impact on how Gothic architecture would be built until the Decorated period. Flying buttresses can sometimes be seen over Early English church aisles, but are often hidden in the roofs.

The large, thick columns of the Romanesque period became thin clusters of shafts. These shafts were often built using Purbeck marble and had carvings of foliage designs, which was the style of the time. It was possible for these designs to be created because of the introduction of chisels in place of axes for carving.

Initially, the windows in this period were very simple and were placed either singly or put together in small groups. As this period progressed a small amount of detail was given to them. For example, small ornamental holes were put in the space in the moulding, under the peaks of windows that came to a point. As this technique (known as Plate Tracery) became common, the holes became more decorative and evolved into trefoil and quadrafoil designs.

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Early English foliage