English Gothic: A Reassessment

Abstract

This thesis considers how a combination of architectural elements and religious ritual evoke what the author calls “Gothic splendour”; it can be seen in various degrees in parts of all medieval English cathedrals. It is argued that medieval Gothic, the building style and associated forms of worship evolved in three phases. It was dynamic, flexible, and artistic; its associations were religious and political. In contrast, Gothic in the nineteenth century will be revealed as something quite different. A reflection of fascination with a romantically idealised medieval past, providing relief from anxiety in a time of violent social, political and cultural change. In 1839 The Camdenians—later called The Ecclesiologists—came into being and focussed on the externals of worship. Their interest was directed towards what they called “the science of church design.” By the 1860s English Gothic was wrapped up with Englishness, middle-class respectability, high/low church differences, rationalism, and an inferred rejection of what Anglicans saw as the transcendent, the mystical. The late Victorian period and early twentieth century several architects reintroduced a reference to sacramental magic in their fabric and furnishing. This imaginative and rich approach to church design continued well into the twentieth century. This revived “Sugerian quality” is reflected in the experiences of those attending a religious service.