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.

47

160

180

50

150

180

520

260

380

343

40

60

1060s

1070s

1080s

1090s

1100s

1110s

1120s

1130s

1140s

1150s

1160s

1170s

1180s

1190s

1200s

1210s

1220s

1230s

1240s

1250s

Abbey had been founded in 1085, all that remains is the west wall, possibly west door, with two capitals

Narthex entry, totally restored

Narthex to top of internal buttresses above vaults; R profile in doubleau, �0� boss.

Choir foundations to bases of eastern towers with apse sills like St-Denis and thin buttresses angled to centre, possibly for flyers; plans for buttresses altered near floor level suggesting a significant delay and with a joint at chapel drips; the original single-light windows to the chapels are also like those at Saint Denis. The capitals suggest a date after Saint Denis and before Senlis, some time in the mid-1140s.

Eastern tower bases to vaults, in which the bases indicate that the EN1 and ES1 piers that support the eastern towers were erected after the walls of the chapels, and from such poor stone that the majority of their capitals have had to be replaced; bases have square rib plinths that were designed to support aa,f,r,f,d, and as work progressed the north tower remained a few courses more advanced than the south

Walls of choir and towers with capitals and aisle vaults, but no work to ambulatory drum piers as this is where the earlier apse may have been.

Choir gallery and arcade arches were supported on the old church because the capitals on the gallery jambs are earlier in manner to the ambulatory drums underneath, as in st Remi and Noyon; and as chapel and ambulatory vaults were built together, both would have been built at this time.

Bases to W1 pier and wall with rib plinths set at 45 and support a shaft arrangement of aa,f,45,f,d.

Nave 2-3 drum, pier and wall have rib bases at 45 and support aa,f,45,d.

Erection of the jambs to the choir gallery that rest on the walls of the existing apse

Eastern towers 1

Ambulatory drums inserted under earlier gallery, dated to late 80s, so we presume demolition of older apse that had been supporting the vaults and the gallery

Choir gallery wall and axial chapel, vaulted in 4 campaigns around these walls and the chapel from details in the little triforium windows

Crossing triforium, and the lower flyer bonded with wall

Choir clerestory capitals and start of windows; the single openings in choir triforium external wall after lower flyers and in bays 2-3 clerestory the joint just below caps,

Crossing and choir vaults.

Double openings in middle 3 bays in external choir triforium wall.

Nave capitals 4-8 piers and wall as pilier-cantonne.

Triple openings in triforium external wall, and on south joint at clerestory walkway between profile and drip.

Nave clerestory 5-9 with start of windows; there is a joint under clerestory sills, which may be why clerestory sills are 4 courses lower than in east, level with impost.

Nave vaults 5-9 constructed sloly with western vault around 1230; eastern towers first level.

E towers II

E towers III

Spire to eastern towers