Analysis Of Medieval British Gothic Architecture

The history of architecture is a cultural history and a social history. Gothic architectural style is the most common style in British urban architectures.Gothic architecture is a style of architecture which flourished during the high and medieval period in Europe.From the second half of the12th to15th centuries the Gothic era spanned more than300years.In Gothic architecture, unique combination of existing technologies established the emergence of a new building style.Those technologies were the ogival or pointed arch,the ribbed vault,and the flying buttress,which become the characteristic features of Gothic style.Between Church,King,Lords of the Realm and Citizen were against each other,Gothic architectural style formed and developed in this complex social background.There are three distinctive features in the evolution of Medieval British urban architecture:The first is that urban wall has a strong influence on people’s life; The second is that market is located in the heart of the city; The third is that the British always keep back to the ancient Greek and Rome architectural culture. According to architectural style British Gothic architecture can be diveded into five periods:the first one was "PreGothic Style";the second was early Gothic Style;the third was Decorative style;the fourth was Perpendicular Style;the fifth was Cothic Revival style in18th and19th centuries,and a large number of classic works emerged, such as Canterbury Cathedral,Lincoln Cathedral,Ely Cathedral, King’s College Chapel,Westminster Abbey and Henry VII’s Chapel. British Gothic architecture was of historic signficance:the first was religious signficance;the second was "dematerialization"; the third was innovation in the structural system of Gothic architecture. Besides, there were always some differences between Medieval secular Gothic building and the Gothic churches in Britain, and there were some palaces and castles which were built by monarch or aristocrat until now still remaining, such as London tower and Windsor Castle.