When was canterbury cathedral first built

William did not live to see his work completed — he was seriously injured after falling from a scaffold and was forced to return to France where he later died. But his plans were followed by his successor, the architect and stonemason William the Englishman.

They were also used to mark how and where specific stone blocks were to be used. Medieval cathedrals were never really completely finished. Construction and redevelopment projects were, more often than not, ongoing. Structural repairs, often a result of natural disasters, such as the earthquake that damaged much of Wells Cathedral in , were frequently carried out. But, more often than not, rebuilding work was viewed as an opportunity to extend and redevelop specific areas of the building.

For them, after a long journey of days, weeks or even months on foot, the final destination would have been an overwhelmingly sacred and sensory experience. People would have congregated there, bartering would have taken place, people would be sleeping and resting. There would even have been dogs running around. The smell of incense; the noise of chatter and music; the vast expanse of space above and the feel of the stonework beneath your feet and hands… it would have been very different from what pilgrims would experience in their local parish church.

And, in contrast to the plain stone we see today, every inch of the cathedral would have been painted in bright primary colours, even the exterior. Pilgrims made their way through the different, gated, sections of the cathedral, following a set route until they reached the most holy and sacred area: his shrine, where they could make offerings and pray.

Those wishing to take away a memento could do so in the form of souvenirs. At Canterbury, pilgrims could purchase pewter flasks of holy water mixed with the blood of Thomas Becket, collected from his wound as he lay dying. Pilgrim badges were also popular and most cathedrals boasted a thriving tourist industry. A walk around the cloisters at Canterbury reveals medieval graffiti and damage to its walls where eager pilgrims have chipped away at the stone.

During the reign of Henry VIII the glory days of the cathedral came to an abrupt end, when the dissolution of the monasteries saw many destroyed or taken over, their wealth appropriated by the crown. Fire destroyed the cathedral's predecessor in , and rebuilding in the Romanesque style was carried out between and October for Archbishop Lanfranc.

This version had a squat square main tower topped by a steeple supporting a golden angel. The eastern end of the cathedral was demolished during the next rebuilding for Archbishop Anselm, between and The quire choir was rebuilt in , over a new western crypt. Another pair of transepts and two chapels were added to the eastern end of the building. The quire was rebuilt in the English Gothic style pioneered by William of Sens. Work on Trinity chapel, the apse Corona chapel and the eastern crypt was completed in Rebuilding work then began on the western end of the building.

The nave was demolished in and rebuilt in Perpendicular late English Gothic style between and , by Thomas Chillenden. The chapel was decorated with elaborate stained glass windows, including a Tree of Jesse, a popular medieval design for illustrating the genealogy of Christ. Today the cathedral attracts over a million pilgrims and visitors each year. The Dissolution of the Monasteries under Henry VIII, Puritan iconoclasm in the seventeenth century, and subsequent re-ordering of panels resulted in the loss of many of the original stained glass windows at Canterbury Cathedral, and currently only two panels of the Tree of Jesse remain.

More recently, the damaging effects of wind, rain, frost, heat, and pollution have posed a serious threat. Evidence of active deterioration was found and many of the fractured pieces of glass were in danger of falling out of supporting lead frames. In several places, previous attempts to provide extra support were ultimately doing more harm than good, allowing water to penetrate into the interspace and causing new and rapid corrosion.

In addition, the panels were covered in dirt and dust, which provided a basis for microbial attack.