It was mainly thanks to travelling architects that the style developed in the Île-de-France became known outside France. Guillaume de Sens (an architect from the Sens church
building association) was mainly responsible for the reconstruction of the burned choir of Canterbury cathedral. In doing this he brought the Gothic style to England where it
developed to eventually rival the French Gothic. What emerged in England was a combination of Norman architecture, which already incorporated many Gothic trends, and the new style. This resulted in the development of something completely independent of the
French style. Unlike the continent, large churches in England were generally built outside
the towns, as illustrated by Durham cathedral. The English Church saw itself as an
established territorial church and its cathedrals tended to be attached to monastic residences
on the peripheries of towns, rather than the bishop’s seat in the town centre. Thus it was the custom to build large cathedral complexes with ‘castle gates’ on all sides, and a cathedral
chapter house integrated into the periphery of the complex.
Other typical features of Gothic churches in England included a far greater emphasis on the horizontal proportions, which was not reflected in the height of the building, and the straight
eastern termination of the chancel, to which the lady chapel (chapel dedicated to the Virgin) was added. In continental Gothic churches, this was closely integrated into the overall
system of the building, as the central chapel among the chapels radiating from the choir ambulatory. As in French cathedrals, the addition of a chapel at the choir end of the church
caused the shifting of the crossing to almost the centre of the entire complex. Although this
feature received little or no emphasis in the country of birth of the Gothic style, in England it became the pivotal focus of the church. Rectangular structures were added on all sides and
it was crowned by the tower vault.
是太长了。。惭愧。。