The dating found here is based on the work of John James, and is meant on this site to serve as a starting point. James' dating is derived from a system that uses his interpretation of the development of capitals over time as the basis for chronology, among other factors. His goal is to refine the dating to within years rather than decades. I have not fully embraced James' methodology, and will be developing this page from its current state to one which is admittedly more conservative. The relative expenditure values found in the Timeline are also based on James' work, and I believe these to be reasonably reliable. They are intended only to give a sense of the amount of work involved in each decade.

I have added the idea of the "project" as a way of separating work in buildings. In my mind, a "project" is a discrete section of work in a building that resulted from the one-time acquisition of funding. "Projects" are generally separated by at least a decade where no work was being done. It is my view that it would have been unwise to start a "project" that could not be finished and protected from the elements, and as such a "project" usually involved a wing or multiple wings of a building, from floor to roof. Rural churches, which could only secure small amounts of funding at irregular intervals, often were the result of many small projects, while the great churches, which benefitted from relatively consistent funding, may have involved only a few large projects.

125

60

25

70

185

30

1060s

1070s

1080s

1090s

1100s

1110s

1120s

1130s

1140s

1150s

1160s

1170s

1180s

1190s

1200s

1210s

1220s

1230s

1240s

1250s

West wall of north transept has 8 courses from an earlier building; there was probably an earlier nave west wall in line with pier 4 that would have remained when the nave was finished;

North wall to north with bases and shafts to 8 courses, joined to the remnants of the older wall;

Bases to crossing piers, including bases on south entry into nave where steps down to floor before the sw corner; both northern walls to window sill plus 3 courses;

North and crossing capitals and start of vaults; starts arch over north side of south entry into nave; bases for the south wall;

Vaults in north and crossing with upper north window; on south windows to one course above sill drip; completes the arch over south entry into nave aisle;

Complete north and crossing vaults with the upper walls; on the south carves the capitals, starts the vaults with thinner ribs above tas-de-charge and rose in south wall;

North aisle walls to 7 courses above torus in the north as far as east side of blocked door, where stopped, possibly to avoid earlier building; south aisle wall of 6 courses from transept to east jamb of south door; probably together as both sets of bases have splayed plinths;

Bases to the west portal and west wall and stairs to tread 3; intended a projection on the inside, possibly for an inner gable or internal portal;

Nave aisle windows have different sill heights in north and south, and from fall in the land presume the south was later; some work on walls on west side of both side doors, but messy; some aisle capitals;

Western bay to caps and vault, inner projection removed; continued to just under (a+) window slope; western capitals have different imposts and plans to those further east;

Carved corbels with heads alongside portal, started the gable and (a+) windows;

Removed old nave piers to eastern 3 bays and carved drums with different imposts; something still left standing in the way from the confused work in the walls and the leaving of the two w4 piers; carved the first arcade bases for the shafts for the high vault;

All aisle vaults and arcade arches, completed in two parts as shafts over piers varied; third stage of the western wall to the top of windows with western shafts;

Clerestory wall somewhat higher in east, built slowly with vaults; all clerestory vaults begun together;

Tower

Last bay in the west with lancets and rose, now replaced;