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N the following accounts of the Cathedral Cities of England, technical architectural terms will necessarily appear, and to the end that they should be comprehensive, I give here a slight sketch of the origin of the various forms, and the reasons for their naming, together with dates; and to the end that I may supply a glossary of easy reference, I place as side headings in this introduction the various expressions which will be met with throughout the book.

This, I hope, may relieve the reader of the tedium of having to turn to books of reference at each moment, and being subjected to a constant reiteration of the terms, which must necessarily be frequently employed.

The Cathedrals of England may be said to comprise illustrations of Anglo-Saxon, Gothic, and Norman, with their variations and combinations.

Constantine, A.D. 306-337.—Romanesque.—With the establishment of Christianity, more especially when recognised in Rome during the time of Constantine, arose the marvellous development of architecture, founded upon the basis of classical remains. This "Romanesque," as this period of architecture came to be called, permeated later the whole of Western Europe.

Basilica.—Relieved from immediate fear of persecution, the Christian architects straightway commenced to convert the "basilica" remains to suit the requirements of the "New Faith." The Basilica, as its derivation from the Greek Βασιλικἡ ("the royal house") implies, "was the King's Bench" of the Romans. It was a long rectangular building, with sometimes rows of columns introduced to divide the space into a nave and aisles. One end terminated in an "apse," of semi-circular formation, where the judge and his assessors were accustomed to sit. This apse the Christians utilised as a chancel. The approach to the building was the "atrium," or forecourt, somewhat similar to the English Cathedral cloister, but differently situated.

A chief characteristic of the Roman buildings was the "round arch," mainly composed of brick or stone work. This the Romans for many years had used more in a decorative way than for utility, but which became of more structural significance in the hands of the Christians.

Romanesque.—Sixth to Twelfth Century.—In this wise, from the remains of the Basilica, with the further development of the "round arch" to the "semi-circular arch," the Christian Romans gradually evolved the style of architecture called "Romanesque," i.e., in the Roman Style. This style became prevalent throughout Western Europe from the beginning of the sixth to the close of the twelfth century. In process of time transepts were added and the choir prolonged, giving the outline, as it were, of a cross, the Holy Symbol of Christianity.

Anglo-Saxon.—500-1066.—Thus Romanesque may be said to be the fountain-head of Anglo-Saxon, Norman Proper, Anglo-Norman, and Gothic Architecture.

During the Roman occupation of England, missionaries came to her from Rome, the metropolis, and made converts, as they did in other countries, and as missionaries do nowadays in China and elsewhere. They and travelling merchants insensibly introduced the style of architecture then prevalent in Italy, namely, the Romanesque. Owing to the untutored nature of the Anglo-Saxons, their first attempts at imitating what would appear to them entirely new, together with the difficulty of procuring skilled labour, were necessarily crude.

These first attempts may justly come under the heading of "Anglo-Saxon."

When the Campanile or tall bell-towers came into existence in Italy, England imitated.

Anglo-Norman.—1066.—The Normans, at the Conquest, introduced their rendering of architecture, which they had borrowed from the Romanesque, with a suspicion of Lombardic, and even Byzantine styles intermingled. As they could not entirely at first uproot the local peculiarities of the Anglo-Saxon treatment of style which they found in the country, they in a way grafted the Norman architecture on to the existing style. Thus it came to be called "Anglo-Norman." At first the work was heavier in character than the Norman proper, but it became lighter towards the close of the twelfth century.

Norman Peculiarities.—The Norman peculiarities were the building of the church on a cruciform plan, with a square tower placed over the transepts where they cross the nave; the massive cylindrical nave piers. To relieve the heaviness of these massive nave piers and doorways, the chevron, or zigzag pattern, spiral and other groovings were cut. The mouldings were of the same character as in France, but towards the close of the twelfth century they were by degrees disused.

In the transition period, 1154-1189, the dog-tooth ornament appears, and occurs in combination with the "billet," a circular roll with spaces cut away at intervals, as at Canterbury.

The Normans also greatly employed arcades, both blank and open. The interlacing of arcades was frequently used by them. They were formed by semi-circular arches, intersecting each other regularly. This interlacing is supposed by many authorities to have been the origin of the "pointed lancet arch." The Norman arcades form a prominent feature in the internal and external decoration of their buildings. The internal arrangement of the larger churches consisted of three stages or tiers. The ground stage carried semi-circular arches, above that came the triforium, or second stage of two smaller arches supported by a column, and within a larger arch. Above this again, came the third stage or clerestory, with two or more semi-circular arches, one of which was pierced to admit the light.

The nave was usually covered by a flat ceiling, and not vaulted. The crypts and aisles were vaulted.

The doorways appear to have been a special feature with the Normans, for they were generally very richly ornamented, and were greatly recessed. The windows were narrow and small in proportion to the rest of the building. At a late period of the style the small circular windows became greatly enlarged, and it became necessary to divide up the space by the introduction of slender columns radiating from the centre.

In England the semi-circular apse, towards the close of the style, gradually gave place to the square apse, which was more generally adopted.

Gothic.—Fourth to Twelfth Century.—Another great and early factor in ecclesiastical architecture is the Gothic. In the early stages of Christianity, the Goths, a Teutonic race, dwelt between the Elbe and the Vistula. They subverted the Rome Empire. They, like other countries, received the Christian religion from Rome. Each country after its own fashion endeavoured to imitate the architecture of Rome. As these countries were semi-barbarous and unpolished, their work was necessarily rude. This, in conjunction with the invasions of Italy by the Goths, led to the term "Gothic." This period commenced in the fourth century, and was entirely changed in the twelfth, by the introduction of the pointed arch.

Gothic.—1145-1550.—This marked a new era, and established a new style of architecture, the transition from the Norman, or Romanesque, to the Mediæval Gothic. Several attempts were made to introduce new names in lieu of Gothic, for to name anything Gothic was looked upon with askance.

Early Gothic	IVth century to XIIth century.
Anglo-Saxon	500-1066 A.D.
ANGLO-NORMAN
William I	1066.
William II	1087.
Henry I.	1100.
Stephen	1135.
Henry II.	1154-1189. Transition.

EARLY ENGLISH
(FIRST POINTED, OR LANCET)
Richard I.	1189.
John.	1199.

COMPLETE, OR GEOMETRICAL POINTED
Edward I.	1272-1307.	Transition.

DECORATED
MIDDLE POINTED, OR CURVILINEAR
Edward II.	1307.
Edward III.	1327-1377.

PERPENDICULAR
THIRD POINTED, OR RECTILINEAR
Richard II	1377.	Transition.
Henry IV.	1399.
Henry V.	1413.
Henry VI.	1422.
Edward IV.	1461.
Edward V.	1483.
Richard III.	1483.
Henry VII.	1485	}Tudor Period.
Henry VIII.	1509-1547

With the close of the Tudor Period, Mediæval Gothic practically died out. There crept in then the English Renaissance, followed after by what is called "The Revival of Gothic Architecture."

ENGLISH RENAISSANCE
	about
The Elizabethan, or First Period	1547-1620.
The Anglo-Classic, or Second Period	1620-1702.
The Anglo-Classic, or Third Period	1702-1800.
The Revival of Gothic Architecture in England.	1800.