Cathedral Cities of England

Book Excerpt: The broach-spire now came into notice. It was added on to the square tower, and at the early part of this style was low in height, but gradually became taller.The circular-headed windows of the Normans gave place to the narrow-pointed lancets of the Early English. These admitted little light, and necessitated a greater number of windows, which were grouped into couplets or triplets.Geometrical.--The window, by the gradual process of piercing the vacant spaces in the window-head, carrying mouldings around the tracery (or ornamental filling-in), and adding cusps (the point where foliations of tracery intersect), gave rise to Geometrical work.The earliest work of this kind is found in Westminster Abbey.Decorated.--The towers are made to appear lighter by the parapets being either embattled or pierced with elegant designs, and pinnacles placed on them.The broach-spires gave place to spires springing at once from the octagon. The buttresses are setRead More