Canterbury Cathedral1077

History

Founded originally in 597, and built mainly from the bricks and masonry of Roman ruins, Canterbury Cathedral’s original Anglo-Saxon incarnation was subject to substantial damage by raids and fires over centuries. Shortly after a large fire in 1067, Archbishop Lefranc cleared the remains and began rebuilding Canterbury Cathedral in the Romanesque style using Caen Limestone imported directly from Normandy, France. Destruction and reconstruction persisted at Canterbury Cathedral for centuries, with notable restoration projects led by numerous master builders, masons and architects. After a devastating fire in 1174, William of Sens was hired to help completely rebuild the choir and much of the Eastern section of the cathedral, and introduced the construction of the now highly recognisable pointed arches, ribbed vaults, flying buttresses, leading to the first major site of Gothic architecture in England. Extensions and improvements followed in subsequent centuries, in which the remaining Norman Romanesque naves, spires, transepts and so on were destroyed and replaced in the Gothic style throughout the medieval period, with minor restorations and repairs as recently as 2022.