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 Mediaeval Gothic. Several attempts were made to introduce new
names in lieu of Gothic, for to name anything Gothic was looked upon
with askance.