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      The Perpendicular Style was first applied in the former Benedictine abbey at Gloucester in the fourteenth century. The ambulatory shows the square grid that is so characteristic for this style. The eastern window, which is richly equipped with grid-like tracery, is the largest in England. Typical also is the fan vault of the cloister.

      The end of the fourteenth century and the construction of Winchester Cathedral saw a movement that went against the stylistic excess that was so atypical for the English character – and aimed for sobriety. The Perpendicular Style, which was used here for the first time, got its name from the grid-like mullions and members that replaced the tracery, particularly in the windows. Just as characteristic was the use of new arch forms, such as the narrowing ogee arch, which was unknown on the mainland, as well as the specifically English Tudor arch, which is flatter than the ogee arch.

      Despite the return to straighter lines in the tracery, the wealth of decoration was not at all diminished; it was merely relegated to smaller rooms, to the chapter halls, which were added to the cathedrals, cloisters and smaller chapels. The most splendid building of this late period of English Gothic is the chapel of Henry VII in the choir at Westminster Abbey in London (1502–1526). Its fantastic vault shows the decorative abilities of the Gothic style at its highest level.

      As so often in medieval buildings, the beautiful architecture of Exeter Cathedral demonstrates a mixture of building styles – a result of long lasting construction. While the older towers of Norman style originate in the twelfth century, the western façade, which was built in the fifteenth century, is a typical example of Perpendicular Style. The cathedral was rebuilt between 1270 and 1369 as a Gothic monument with a Lady Chapel and a presbytery at the east end. Of the Norman construction only the two transepts were integrated into the high Gothic church. Particularly interesting is the western façade with an image screen in its lower part.

      Many secular Gothic buildings were constructed in England as the population’s wealth increased. Such buildings include the colleges of Oxford and Cambridge; Westminster Hall in London (1393–1399), which was built by an unknown master builder; Winchester Castle (1232–1240), of which only one hall remains, and Hampton Court Palace (as of 1520). Many fortresses and castles also profess the Gothic secular style, as does the Tower of London, which was begun in 1078 and frequently enlarged, and declared a world heritage site of UNESCO in 1988.

      37. Choir, Canterbury Cathedral, Canterbury (United Kingdom), 1174–1184. In situ.

      38. Nave, seen from the East, Westminster Abbey Church, London (United Kingdom), 1245–1259. In situ.

      39. Plan of Westminster Abbey Church, London (United Kingdom).

      The Gothic in Germany and Austria

      The oldest major works of the Gothic architectural style in Germany are the choir of Magdeburg Cathedral, which was begun in 1208, the Liebfrauenkirche (Church of Our Lady) in Trier (1227–1243) and the Elisabethkirche (Elisabeth Church) in Marburg (1235–1283). However, these are by no means slavish imitations of the newly arrived French innovation; instead from the very beginning they show much independence in the way they use the foreign forms. For example, despite its French ground plan with an ambulatory and chevet, the choir of Magdeburg Cathedral has national traits in its details. These traits become increasingly pronounced with the building of the longhouse, which was consecrated in 1363. The western façade, too, with its pair of towers completed in 1520, features distinctly national characteristics.

      The master builder of the Liebfrauenkirche (Church of Our Lady) in Trier proceeded contrariwise: he only followed the French style in the details, while creating a completely innovative ground plan. Consisting of a centralised building around which a chevet was created, this church is a unique Gothic construction.

      The master builder of the Elizabethkirche (Elisabeth Church) worked just as independently. Despite its lengthy construction period, the church appears as a unified whole. The form of the hall church, as it had developed in Westphalia, was retained for the interior’s design. Likewise, the creation of the façade with its slender uninterrupted climbing towers is a deviation from the French type. The master builder had already clearly understood that verticality, i.e. the strong emphasis of the vertical line, represents the most fertile basic Gothic idea.

      The Gothic architectural style in Germany, which spread only from the start of the fourteenth century, found its most splendid development in the two cathedrals on the Rhine: Cologne and Freiburg. They were accompanied by three other artistically equally valuable cathedrals, all of which are located at the shores of the Danube: Ulm Cathedral, Regensburg Cathedral in southern Germany and St. Stephen’s Cathedral in Vienna, Austria.

      40. Nave, seen from the East, Salisbury Cathedral, Salisbury (United Kingdom), 1220–1258. In situ.

      41. Salisbury Cathedral, Salisbury (United Kingdom), 1220–1258. In situ.

St. Peter and Mary Cathedral in Cologne

      Cologne Cathedral is the only purely Gothic building. Its long construction period, which lasted over six centuries, did not impair the stylistic consistency. There is something sober about Cologne Cathedral, not only in its conception, but also in its execution. Here, imagination was dominated by reason, the roots of which are buried deeply in basic Gothic principles, which the master builders of Cologne only brought to their final conclusion. Therefore Cologne Cathedral, as it stands, can be seen as a kind of keystone to the entire Gothic architectural period. Here all driving forces of the Gothic converged to bring forth the last hidden seeds of its construction method and to execute the pure principle of verticality, the most essential idea of the Gothic.

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