How they built Canterbury Cathedral

The first Cathedral in Canterbury was built by St Augustine in around 597. That Cathedral and later Saxon replacements have all been lost to view - their remains hidden under the present building. The Cathedral which you see today dates from 1070 at the earliest, just after the Norman Conquest (1066). The most recent part dates from 1500.

The five diagrams below show you:

1. The first phase of Norman construction (Romanesque architecture)
2. The second phase of Norman construction - a considerable part of this survives in the middle section of the Cathedral: it is 900 years old
3. The first use of Gothic styles - in the rebuilding after a fire in 1174 which destroyed the eastern end
4. Rebuilding the western half of the Cathedral (1377 to 1480) - the Perpendicular (late-Gothic) style
5. The youngest part: Bell Harry Tower, 1500 - and an answer to the question "When was the Cathedral built ?"

1 - The Norman Cathedral of Archbishop Lanfranc

• Built between 1070 and 1077, on site of Saxon cathedral destroyed by fire in 1067
• Nave & transepts survived for 300 years, North-West Tower until 1830's
• Whole eastern end knocked down in 1090's to make way for St Anselm's Choir & Crypt

2 - The Norman Cathedral of Archbishop Anselm

• Built between 1096 and 1130
• Surviving today: Crypt (the western half of today's enlarged Crypt), St Anselm's and St Andrew's Chapels, two towers, and much of the South-East and North-East Transepts
• This is how the Cathedral looked in Becket's day

3 - Rebuilding after fire of 1174 destroyed the eastern end

• The two eastern towers, and much of the eastern transepts, survived the fire. The choir was gutted.
• William of Sens oversaw construction of Choir (1175 - 1180) - first shift from Norman (Romanesque) to Gothic architecture in England
• 'William the Englishman' responsible for Trinity Chapel, eastern Crypt below it, and the Corona
• Oldest stained glass dates from this time
• Becket's body moved up from Crypt to Trinity Chapel: 1220

4 - Rebuilding the Nave & main Transepts: 1377 - 1480

• Nave demolished 1377 (the year following the Black Prince's burial); rebuilt 1387 - 1410
• South-West Tower & Porch rebuilt 1413 - 25 (North-West Tower remained until 1830's)
• South-West Transept rebuilt 1430's, North-West Transept 1480's
• Lanfranc's Tower knocked down in 1430's, Nave & Transepts strengthened, but rebuilding did not get above Nave height until 1490

5 - 'Bell Harry' Tower - and an answer to the question "When was the Cathedral built?"

• 'Bell Harry' main construction: 1490 - 1510
• Completion of Tower followed by construction of Christ Church Gate c.1510 - the main entrance to the Cathedral precincts today

Take your choice of our other Canterbury pages:
Canterbury, England
Finding your way about - a 3-minute guide
Canterbury in English History
What to see in Canterbury - 7 top sights
Photo Gallery: Canterbury