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.

30

20

45

152

162

165

1060s

1070s

1080s

1090s

1100s

1110s

1120s

1130s

1140s

1150s

1160s

1170s

1180s

1190s

1200s

1210s

1220s

1230s

1240s

1250s

Tower base to vault

Tower II bases

Footings dug and built over three campaigns, with apse and south bases, with south more advanced as ground drops away from south-east to north-west; joints three courses below the chamfer on external wall from the tower to the north side of the projection for the east window, then drops to the footings; the south wall and first plinth and torus in SW2 corner are placed true to the ribs.

Footings to north side of entry into north chapel, though nothing was done along north transept wall as there may have been some structure in the way; square-set plinths and tori from south chapel to entry northwith thickened walls probably for a plain vault; in the apse walls contined to 9th course with vertical breaks on outer sides of the apse entry shafts, which was three courses below start of windows, for the joint is marked by changes to E-e buttresses.

Apse eight courses with window sills and frames and with a continuous external drip that forms a skirt around the building.

Apse 8 or 9 courses to caps and square imposts, with start of vaults, window heads and entry arch that has a simple ‘R’ profile; possibly a few courses in transepts and chapels while continuing the thick eastern wall in the chapels

Completes apse vault but little on external walls so retained access to lay up the cells; in the south continued the south wall from tower to chapels, began the S-s window in the lowest course, and was placed so it was not central to the wall and the joint lies above the next course where the buttress was reduced; in the north laid the footings and bases to the transept with different buttress widths, builds more on this side so it was less below the south, altogether about 7 courses to a little below the north window; on the west laid the bases to the crossing piers and the opening into nave aisle with plinths set true to the ribs.

Apse uppermost stones of wall and gable and coping to buttress with cornice with R2 profile and roof; S-s window sill after lowest course in previous campaign with sill and shafts, and continuous drip so same profile as used before as skirt; south chapel there was a major change from domical vaults to ribs where the thick wall was set back to make room for shafts that were added over corbels, including an additional arch over the entry; including the whole of S-e window to the head with rings on the shafts, and as the window has the same design as the apse this may have been the same master returned, being the R2-profile master; joint can be seen from reduction of buttress in the course above the string; north chapel window begun but not completed, south chapel vaults with caps and arch entry, with the R2 profile; north transept window N-n was set out centrally in the wall and one course lower than the south and below the north chapel corbels; in the west carved the capitals and arch to WN-w aisles aisle entry with foliage continued along wall with R2 profile to voussoirs.

South transept S-s window with head twisted towards the east possibly so it would look centrally from the room; head of S-e window with R3 profile in arch over; vault begun out of SW2, caps and arch entry into N chapel with extended impost and roof cornices to both chapels with R3 profile; the clerestory capitals to entry into nave from crossing originally all at the same level.

Raised some west crossing capitals 7 courses for a much taller interior replacing the vault over the crossing with a lantern for which he inserted shaft and capital over apse piers; arch into nave, and arches between crossing and transepts with ‘Q4’ profile; vault in the south transept with ribs with a groove on only one side (as in Soissons south transept); south chapel roof cornice with serrations in profile andcompleted north N-n window head with centralised arch, and adjacent transept vault caps

Completed transept vaults, erected lantern walls over arches, and began twin windows and started diagonal ribs with R2 profile on ribs and around the frame of the windows; also transept vaults with south transept roof cornice possibly the same master returned.

The decision for an 8-part vault in the lantern may have been made here

Nave bases over floor that slopes from east to west with dado and sills and the W-w door and wall.

Nave aisle capitals and arcade arches with a tilted joint through windows meant that the W-w windows could not be started until here.

Wall above arches and aisle vaults to the triforium openings and clerestory caps in W1, including the start of the vault and clerestory window sills, but still with west being lower than at the crossing

Nave clerestory, heads of windows, flyers and completes vault.