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.

27

22

11

78

42

50

25

1060s

1070s

1080s

1090s

1100s

1110s

1120s

1130s

1140s

1150s

1160s

1170s

1180s

1190s

1200s

1210s

1220s

1230s

1240s

1250s

Set out the tower base and all four shaft have the same plan and diameters; the coursing shows the SW pier with its capitals built together with the staircase to tower plus walling to the west on the inside as part of the stairs; the projecting walling on the outside for most of the nave bay may also be the same period, or part of the C15 refacing; rib vault under the tower intended and vault cap placed higher than that under the entry arch a few courses of which may have been built at this time.

Continuation of tower base with vaults and chapel; on the west side of the nave entry the projecting corner between the shafts not continued into the capitals and in most cases the junctions between the capitals do not coincide with the projections between the shafts.

Lower wall of south aisle with rough-hewn stonework and rectangular pilasters, the Ws1-s window could be from this time.

Tower I

Apse with crossing and 1 bay and with vertical joints into south up centre of piers, now plastered over; shafts in north side of piers built in preparation for chapel in north and these capitals have different imposts to rest; joint therefore probably around arches into chapels which is below sills; two eastern shafts by piscine set at 45, rest square.

At the level of the capitals all together for have same imposts, and the opening into roof space on north has Bronze corbels, slender doorway as in Chartres

Bases to W4 and WS3 together for larger shafts, began drum WS3; the aisle capitals carved with imposts, WN2-4aisles and WS4 together whil the profiles of the other two are different; there is a joint where the chamfered arcade arches offset over piers with space for aisle vaults.

Nave clerestory windows, at least in third bay; west clerestory capitals 1230s mode suggesting slow completion

South aisle and vault in 2 campaigns, break near vault spring; the south aisle vaulted with arcade piers on south side, but walls earlier with rectangular pilasters, and the capital in Ws4 corner is not like the others; from edges of ribs at each end this vault is after the arcade, but from setback in arcade with it was allowed for and intended for this vault kept the s side of the high vault secure

North arcade leans, strengthened with ties and if there were clerestory windows they were blocked to support the ties; north aisle at the same time as no distortion in n aisle vaults; S-s window replaced in C16.