Gloucester Cathedral

Cathedral in Gloucester, Gloucestershire, England. This great abbey church did not become a cathedral until 1541, four decades after its completion. The first abbey was founded in 681, and assumed Benedictine rule in 1022. Its post-Conquest rebuilding began in 1089 (completed around 1120), and of this period the nave, crypt and much of the structure survive. The nave has an Early English stone vault, completed in 1242. However, the cathedral's most glorious features are those in the Perpendicular style.

History and features The first extant Perpendicular window (1331-37) was erected in the south transept. The remodelling of the choir began around 1337, with screens of Perpendicular tracery covering the walls of the Norman choir, surmounted by an elaborate lierne vault (a type of ribbed vault), and with a window covering the whole east end. This window, completed about 1357, was then the largest window existing, and is an engineering and artistic achievement of the highest order. Gloucester's innovations continued during the years 1351-77, with the fan vault in the cloister. Finally, the cathedral was crowned with a Perpendicular tower in the 1450s, and finished with a Lady Chapel, completed 1499.

Money for extensive rebuilding came from offerings at the shrine of Edward II, who was murdered in 1327. The interior furnishings are notable for a screen, which totally separates choir and nave, and for the choir stalls dating from around 1370.