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.

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56

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1120s

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1250s

West wall of north transept to height of 2± metres; there are vertical joints in the nw2 corner and against the nave aisle wall that show this stretch of masonry was earlier; in the south transept the west wall may also have been from the same period, but it is not as clear; complex construction suggests the piers of an earlier choir were encased in present crossing piers; in a later campaign, 3 bays to nave aisle walls with rectangular pilasters to sills with vertical joints against the transept walls and at the western end against the w4 aisle shafts; no indication of date; the evidence for this being the earliest comes from the complex stonework at the entry into the north aisle;

In the wn1 corner the wn1 crossing pier was built many years after the west side of the transept wall and the northern nave wall; it has a projection into the aisle that matches the earlier transept wall; the arch that was constructed between them may have seemed too narrow to secure the weight of the intended crossing tower, for a second arch was laid over it, and is supported on the crossing pier and on a projecting pilaster added to the nave aisle wall; this second arch is off-centre to the lower arch, which would have caused difficulties in erection; to resolve this the upper part of the nave wall was enlarged with a pilaster to support the upper arch over the entry; the underside of the projection is a well-carved convex moulding in which nothing has been chopped back or added in, but every stone was carved to fit and erected in sequence at the time that the projection was built; the projection included the shafts for the future nave aisle vault, which dates it to the time the same decision was taken in the crossing pier; the underside of the pilaster is level with the sill of the adjacent window that seems to mark the moment when the older nave wall was raised to its present height;

North and east walls of north transept probably with the chapel and the external walls of the apse up to course 10, about level with the top of the pre-existing west transept wall; the apse has central buttresses and the polygonal walls are at 80 degrees to one another, suggesting an unusual geometry; at this level the masonry between the chapel and the apse is continuous, and the plinth was laid at exactly the same height, though repairs in the corner leave a little ambiguity; only 8 courses in the south transept noted where the width of the corner buttress was reduced;

Continued with the walls of the north transept and chapel for 8 courses to the window sills; joint indicated by setback to exterior face of the north wall by ne2 buttress; this includes the start of the wide windows; the south transept probably follows su

The chapel window capitals and arch, but the groin vault was not part of this campaign; north transept continued along the north wall and with a few courses over the older aisle wall to the west;

North chapel coping, possibly with a timber roof; the coursing continued to the side of the adjacent (now blocked) window, and to the underside of the north-n window sill; the north terminal wall was thinned just below the sill, marking the end of this campaign just below the corbels for the ribs; massive bases for the western crossing piers with 8 courses; the shafts for the aisles and the projection to the west came later, with the joints in the nw corner and on the west side of the nave rib shaft; coursing shows the western leg of the north transept was built up to 4 courses above the narrow lower opening into the nave aisle, which therefore links the western crossing piers to the work in the transepts; the north leg of the crossing pier wn1 is 26mm wider than then the pilaster on the old transept wall on the opposite side, and the width of the lower arch matches the crossing pier and not the wall, confirming that crossing pier and arch were installed after the north wall; in the south began the large openings in lateral walls;

Apse and sanctuary walls and vaults continued to capitals to eastern crossing piers and start of e2 doubleau; in north chapel replaced southern half of the entry arch to a different arc and pointed, during which the older pier was encased within a larger en1 crossing pier to support the intended tower; as the groin vault follows the outline of the pointed arch it was built then, while the stonework in the groins precludes the possibility that only a part of the vault had been demolished and rebuilt; thus the whole of the groin was built with the enlarged crossing pier; the coping and roof over the north chapel built as vault filled over;

Apse and e1 ribs, completed e1 doubleau; on north side of w1, the arch over the transept-to-aisle opening was strengthened to support a second arch to the same width as crossing pier;

West crossing aisle on north side to capitals; replaced but I have assumed close to originals

Nave aisles vaults in first bay north and south with flattened rib outline, in the english manner; this forced later aisle vaults to be squatter than usual;

West crossing clerestory capitals and to the aisle with doubleau from crossing into north and south transept; the latter w1aisles w capitals are replacements, and if they were copies of the originals, have the same impost and decoration as clerestory capitals overhead; there is a clear joint where the shafts were reduced 1 course above the aisle caps, and with 12 courses from aisle impost to clerestory this section would have been the work of at least two campaigns; this argues that the aisle capitals wn1aisles w were inserted into the crossing pier at the same time as those in the clerestory; dates ex chars nave and chateau-landun;west crossing clerestory capitals and to the aisle with doubleau from crossing into north and south transept; the latter w1aisles w capitals are replacements, and if they were copies of the originals, have the same impost and decoration as clerestory capitals overhead; there is a clear joint where the shafts were reduced 1 course above the aisle caps, and with 12 courses from aisle impost to clerestory this section would have been the work of at least two campaigns; this argues that the aisle capitals wn1aisles w were inserted into the crossing pier at the same time as those in the clerestory; dates ex chars nave and chateau-landun;

Coursing connects the western crossing capitals to transept walls; n-n window begun, with corner shafts in the transepts on corbels to support a rib vault; wall taken to underside of oculus and continued to meet the wn1clerestory crossing caps; same in the south, though west wall steps up to crossing caps as south was still some courses below the north;

Crossing and transept vaults, and room over crossing for tower, that shows intended lower roof over nave at same level as transepts;

W4-5 bases and lower courses of portal and dado to tread 12; main evidence for nave campaigns lies within the west stairs, and confirmed in small changes elsewhere; probably removed west wall of old nave;

West bay to tread 19 with portal caps and arch, and dado arches to window sills;

West bay to tread 24 with sills, pier caps and vault, buttresses built with top two courses of aisle walls which are almost complete while the earlier nave remained untouched within them.

Two western drum pier bases with large chunky griffes possibly built within the nave while it was still in use.

Three eastern drum piers, arches and shafts; all drums have the same imposts; drum capitals, arches and shafts; last moment to remove old nave walls and roof.

Aisle window heads, roof and completion of aisle vaults; arcade to 3 courses below triforium string, located by changes from en delit shafts to engaged; flyers were intended;

Nave triforium of 6 courses using a finer stone to 2 courses above string; w1 shafts for clerestory shifted back and reduced in diameter; laid western internal walkway and started frame for west rose (replaced 1870s);

Nave triforium of 8 courses with en delit shafts, using same stone to top of 3-course tas-de-charge up to joint over clerestory external walkway;

Nave clerestory window jambs and head; external walkway and piers for flyers; west rose;

Nave high vaults in east two bays

Nave vaults bays 3-4;

South nave wall; note that south portal and oculus inserted were inserted at a later date.

Tall tower upper stage in at least 3 campaigns;

Install new pier in wn2, presumably removing part of earlier building; all apse windows have been replaced;