Two Norman towers of Exeter Cathedral, Exeter.
The building of the Cathedral of St Peter, began in 1112 by the Normans, and was consecrated in 1133, but was not completed for many more years. The building was already recognized as outdated, even in 1258 following the appointment of Walter Bronescombe as bishop. Following the example of nearby Salisbury Cathedral, the Cathedral was rebuilt in the Decorated Gothic style of the period. Much of the original Norman building was kept, including the two massive square towers and part of the walls.
Unlike many other English cathedrals, there is no centre tower. It was constructed entirely of local stone, including from the quarries at Beer in Devon, plus Purbeck Marble. The new cathedral was complete by about 1400, apart from the addition of the chapter house and chantry chapels.
"The Norman cathedral construction began in 1112, presumably at the east end and was consecrated in 1133, by which date the choir, transept and first two bays of the nave were probably complete. As detailed above, remains of the Norman building can be seen in the massive transept towers. By 1160 the nave and west front were complete and a cloister and Chapter House were added between 1180 and 1244.
During the 1270s, a new project began to replace the entire east end, starting with the east end chapels. This work is documented by a very extensive series of fabric rolls. Work advanced slowly, with the retrochoir, presbytery and choir being built in the 1290s. The original choir elevation had two storeys, but was later modified to three, presumably after the arrival of Master Roger in 1297. Master Thomas of Witney was engaged in 1316 to design the choir furnishings, then became master mason and stayed at Exeter until 1342.
By 1328 the church was complete to the first two bays of the nave, where a design change in the vaults is visible. During Master Thomas of Witney's time the east cloister walk was begun (1318-25) and the nave, west front and north cloister walk were probably completed (c.1328-42).That the present west front is on the same site as the Norman predecessor is indicated by the narrowing of the nave bays towards the west, squeezed to meet an existing feature.
The image screen across the west facade and the chantry chapel of Bishop Grandisson located within the west front were probably designed by William Joy, who succeeded Witney as master mason in 1342 but seems to have died in 1347, possibly from the Black Death. From 1377-1414 the east, south and west cloister walks were finished by Master Robert Lesyngham, who probably also designed the great East Window (1390-92).
The architecture of Exeter Cathedral at first appears remarkably harmonious with the continuous run of tierceron vaults extending from west to east. Although the bays are irregular in size, the plan is throughout based on a division into ninths. There is also a wonderful array of tracery designs in the clerestorey windows. More detailed analysis nevertheless reveals a number of changes, including the decision to adopt a three-storey facade with a triforium more typical of cathedrals than the previous two-storey design. 3-D scanning of the vaults has also revealed numerous changes to the curvatures of the ribs."
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