The distinguishing features of this style are tall and slender pillars, some of them, as in the nave of Worces ter cathedral, are bound by fillets at certain distances, and insulated and clustered into a single column, with narrow lancet windows, and roofs upon simple cross springers ; the arches sharply pointed, and the windows increased to three lights: There was sometimes a combination of circular and pointed, and still a mixture of the old orna ments ; but perhaps the most striking of all the features of this period, is the lofty and finely tapered spire which, in 1222, was constructed of timber, covered with lead, upon the lofty tower of Old St Paul's cathedral. The tower itself was 260 feet high, and the spire being 274, made the total height 534 feet. This was under the reign of Henry III. See Stowe's Survey of London.
Under Edward I. every feature of the Norman style was totally rejected. Slender pillars of Purbeck marble were adopted. These were united under one capital, de corated with the leaves of the palm tree, and the pillars and arcades were modelled into an extreme of lightness.
Early in the reign of Richard the II. under the cele brated NV. de Wykeham, additional boldness and deco rations were thrown into the style. The capitals were constructed and sculptured with more ingenuity ; the vaults were studded with knots of foliage at the intersec tion of the ribs ; the western front was enriched with sta tues ; and the flying buttresses, formed of segments of .circles, were rendered highly ornamental. Dallaway's Observations.
The ribs had also formed a considerable degree of tra cery upon the vaults. The small columns were at last not placed separate from the body of the column, but, be ing united, composed it. The windows were greatly en larged ; they were divided by stone mullions, and spread, in the upper part, into many beautiful and fanciful rami fications. The eastern and western windows, in many instances, occupied the whole breadth of the nave, and rose nearly as high as the vaultings. And these win dows, which were now filled with painted glass, exhibit ing portraits and historical subjects, produced a magi cal effect, with which mankind had hitherto been unac quainted. In the cathedral and St Mary's chapel, now Trinity parish church at Ely, are pillars and windows of this style, and the chapel is reckoned one of the most perfect structures of that age. Bentham's Essays.
It has been thought that the crown of Becket, in Can terbury cathedral, suggested the plan of the Louvre, of Ely, and Canterbury, which are fine specimens of this style ; and that the crosses, erected by Edward I. afford ed a model for the canopies, denominated tabernacle work. Dallaway's Observations.
\Vith regard to the era of this style, the first appear ance of the pointed arch was during the reign of Stephen (1135 to 1154); but the Norman features were not whol ly rejected till Edward I. (1272 to 1307); and the termi nation of this pure style may be placed about the com mencement of the fourth Henry (1399), so that the works which exhibit this particular style were executed in the latter end of the 13th and the beginning of the 14th cen tury.
The distinguishing features have already been mention ed ; but it is necessary to add, that the arches of the win dows and niches, were ornamented with crockets tied at the top, in a knot resembling the blossom of the Eu phorbium ; the central towers became more lofty, and more ornamented ; the cloisters, altars, screens, canopies, shrines, and even external western fronts, were highly enriched with sculptures, and the tapering spire was brought into use.
It is impracticable and unnecessary here to enumerate all the instances where this style was executed ; for it was extended to ecclesiastical buildings in every-quar ter of the kingdom; but the following are specimens which will convey a satisfactory idea of its excellency : The western parts of York, Peterborough, and Litch field; the addition at Lincoln; the naves of Canterbury, York, Winchester, and Exeter; the choirs of York and Gloucester ; and, for correctness of proportions and rich ness of decorations, the screens of Abbot \Vhitehamstead at St Alban's, and Bishop Fox at Winchester, deserve to be noticed.
From the accession of the fourth Henry to the death of Henry the VII. in 1509, that is, during the course of the 15th century, the style of architecture was again com pletely changed. Mr Walpole is of opinion, that the Se pultural Saelta of the archbishops of Canterbury were the models for the style of this century. The walls were made of great height, but remarkably thin. The towers were ornamented with panelled arcades in every part of their height ; and the parapets and pinnacles were formed of open embattled work. The vaultings of the roof were constructed with great ingenuity, and were made to unite with the groins formed by the arch es over the windows ; -they were also formed into pen dants of singular shape and workmanship. Over the high altar, instead of decorations, composed of architec tural members, or imitations of leaves or flowers, ima ges of angels and musical instruments in full choir were introduced. The cloisters, which had hitherto remained quite plain, had now their roofs overspread with tracery, which, rising from the springers, took the form and ap pellation of fan-work ; and even the windows of these cloisters were filled with painted glass. Of this style, the finest specimens are, the chapel of King's College, Cambridge, begun by Henry VI., and finished by Hen ry VIII., and the scpultural chapel of Henry VII. at Westminster. The number and variety of ornaments, among which the armorial bearings had long been intro duced, the exquisite delicacy of workmanship, and the extent of windows filled with painted glass, in walls of incredible thinness, but above all, the singularity of the roof, produces a wonderful of surprise and admiration.