Still, not all of the King's extravagance was money thrown away.
Everywhere on the Continent magnificent churches were rising. The
heavy and somber Norman architecture, with its round arches and
square, massive towers, was giving place to the more graceful Gothic
style, with its pointed arch and lofty, tapering spire.
The King shared the religious enthusiasm of those who built the grand
cathedrals of Salisbury and Lincoln. He himself rebuilt the greater
part of Westminster Abbey (S66) as it now stands. A monument so
glorious ought to make us willing to overlook some faults in the
builder. Yet the expense and taxation incurred in erecting the great
minster must be reckoned among the causes that bred discontent and led
to civil war (S212).