The Dissolution of the Monasteries
In April of 1536, the 27th year of King Henry VIII's 38-year reign, more than 800 monasteries, nunneries and friaries were nestled across England — communities of prayer and devotion for abbots, monks, priors and nuns who provided sanctuary, tended the sick and...
Cathedrals in the 20th Century and Beyond (1900 to present)
Previous post in the series: The Victorians to the Rescue New dioceses and their cathedrals continued to appear in the 20th century, though the pace of restoration of earlier cathedrals slowed. And people being people, arguments over preferred styles continued. George...
The Victorians to the Rescue (1820–1900)
Previous post in the Series: Dissolution and Decline As the Industrial Revolution took hold, the general population saw a sustained rise in income and living standards for the first time in history. People flocked to newly industrialised towns in the North of...
Dissolution and Decline (1534-1820)
Previous post in the series: The Dizzying Heights of Perpendicular Gothic The Norman King William the Conqueror launched the great English medieval Cathedral, and Tudor King Henry VIII wrought its end. Incandescent with rage at the Pope's refusal to annul his marriage...
The Dizzying Heights of Perpendicular Gothic (1350 – 1530)
Previous Post in the series: Decorated Gothic While Edward III remodelled his murdered father's tomb at Gloucester in 1330 to create a more fitting memorial, the Decorated Gothic period was drawing to a close. Perpendicular Gothic, which followed, moved the focus to...
Decorated Gothic (1250-1350)
Previous Post in the series: Early Gothic Cathedrals Henry III (1216-1272) was only nine when he became king; by the time he assumed power in his own right in 1227, his regent had soothed the turbulent waters left by his truculent sire, King John, through the...
Early Gothic Cathedrals (1170-1250)
Previous post in the series: The Normans and Their Cathedrals The hallmark of the Gothic era, the pointed arch, made its way from France to England just in time to rebuild the east end of Canterbury Cathedral after its devastating fire of 1174 (the second within a...
The Normans and Their Cathedrals (1066-1170)
William the Conqueror got more than he bargained for in 1066. The plan: sail to England, defeat English King Harold, launch a charm offensive, have a Coronation at Westminster Abbey and win over the Saxon earls. Normans and Saxons live in two-part harmony. Job done....
England’s Anglican Cathedral Tapestry
England's 42 Anglican Cathedrals share a tumultuous political history, or tapestry, which plays out in each unique Cathedral Story. It all starts with the Romans, a sophisticated and organized bunch if ever there was one. Their aqueducts provided running water, their...
Cathedrals and Coronations
London is abuzz with preparations for the Coronation. When we visited in early April, the street in front of Buckingham Palace was already closed off, with tiered seating erected across the Mall and nearby Green Park. The scale of preparation for the historic event is...
