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.

210

420

300

310

1120

300

200

100

70

1060s

1070s

1080s

1090s

1100s

1110s

1120s

1130s

1140s

1150s

1160s

1170s

1180s

1190s

1200s

1210s

1220s

1230s

1240s

1250s

The nave was shifted to the south of the space between the towers to widen the span, and therefore the existing towers sit on earlier foundations as art of a narrower church; transepts suit that altered axis, and were begun with the nave walls.

All crossing piers with the transept chapels that have the same details in the bases and imposts; the coursing of the lower part of the south wall connects, but not above and not at all in the north while the crossing capitals and those at the level of the nave gallery suggest that the church had arches springing at that level for a low-ceilinged building, and that all was raised later.

Nave aisles walls, piers alternate above the capitals, not below where all are the same.

West portal, capitals and sculpture

Transept gallery openings and capitals, and is the latest moment to show they intended to raise the height 25 years after laying the capitals below the gallery string; includes column-figures in the eastern crossing, and corner shafts for a rib vault over the crossing, un bonded coursing shows where work steps down into the transepts

Western and eastern towers level 1; probably, the miracle recorded in 1157 refers to this part of the work, but which part collapsed? It was a dozen years before the choir was rebuilt, and more before work resumed on the nave.

Eastern towers levels II and III, and with it the south transept wall with the double roses, and in a separate campaign the single oculus in the north, with a long-term joint above these oculi.

Western towers II and III

Complete the nave vauilts and build the string under the floor of the gallery with capitals to the vaults; presumably these capitals were intended to support a lower vault or cross arches, an idea that would have been abandoned when the gallery piers were designed.

Choir footings for round chapels; notice that it is being laid out before its "mentor" at St-Remi had reached the level of the gallery, which means that if St-Remi were the inspiration it was hidden under scaffolding, and thus more likely to have been transmitted by the original designer.

Choir walls with ambulatory and dado, and fluted shafts externally; the curved wall flattened by arches, though still round at spring.

Nave aisle vaults because the inserted rib capitals in WS1 are those of the nave gallery. Two years then needed after the vaults to get to the gallery capitals.nave aisle rib vaults

N+I672Nave gallery caps and vaults. The range suggests the nave arrangement is some 5 years earlier than the same work in the choir. It is 3 courses shorter than choir.

Nave triforium with linkage for triple windows. Nave coursing connected to transepts.

Choir piers, arcade arches, bec capitals in chapel, twin-and oculus windows like plate but in courses, and vaults with tas-de-charge.

Choir gallery string course, and curved walls straightened.

Choir gallery capitals and vaults. Lower flyers built with the wall.

Choir triforium shafts for linkage with twin windows, capitals for both triforium and high vaults.

Choir clerestory external walkway.

Choir clerestory window capitals, fluted columns to support flyers, but renovations make it difficult to determine if there had been a walkway or supporting shafts.

Choir cornice and roof. In 1183 Bishop Guy blessed the church, which could have celebrated the roof.

Choir vault and crossing

Nave vaults 1-4

Transept clerestory and vault, north rose

Nave vaults 5-7, western rose