PERPENDICULAR
Abbreviation: Perp.
c.1330 - c.1536
The end of an era
Originating in London, particularly in royal buildings, the perpendicular style is based on straight lines intersecting at right angles and is seen as the finale to the Gothic show. It is also the style most recognised with Tudor buildings, particularly due to the flattened, more rectangular pointed arches. Perp. tracery often has the main design towards the top of the window, culminating in long straight mullions at the bottom. Another characteristic of perpendicular Gothic is fan vaulting. Unlike ribbed vaulting, fan vaulting is more decorative than structural. Conical structures that join the ceiling to the wall are decorated with lines and decorations which fan out across the entire ceiling. First developed in the cloister of Gloucester Cathedral, the fan vault became the most elaborate vault in England, the best example being at Henry VII Chapel in Wesminster. Unfortunately, the Dissolution of the Monasteries in 1536 signalled the decline of the great cathedral building tradition in England, and therefore an end to the Gothic style. A lack of frequent building projects, and a new Anglican religion that called for a protestant-like desire for modesty in ecclesiastical buildings, and a classical, intellectual approach to building design meant that the ambitions, innovative and knowledgeable medieval mason, and the Gothic style, slowly became obsolete.
Originating in London, particularly in royal buildings, the perpendicular style is based on straight lines intersecting at right angles and is seen as the finale to the Gothic show. It is also the style most recognised with Tudor buildings, particularly due to the flattened, more rectangular pointed arches. Perp. tracery often has the main design towards the top of the window, culminating in long straight mullions at the bottom. Another characteristic of perpendicular Gothic is fan vaulting. Unlike ribbed vaulting, fan vaulting is more decorative than structural. Conical structures that join the ceiling to the wall are decorated with lines and decorations which fan out across the entire ceiling. First developed in the cloister of Gloucester Cathedral, the fan vault became the most elaborate vault in England, the best example being at Henry VII Chapel in Wesminster. Unfortunately, the Dissolution of the Monasteries in 1536 signalled the decline of the great cathedral building tradition in England, and therefore an end to the Gothic style. A lack of frequent building projects, and a new Anglican religion that called for a protestant-like desire for modesty in ecclesiastical buildings, and a classical, intellectual approach to building design meant that the ambitions, innovative and knowledgeable medieval mason, and the Gothic style, slowly became obsolete.