Perpendicular Gothic

Perpendicular Gothic is the last phase of English Gothic, prominent in the 14th to 16th centuries. It is characterized by an emphasis on regularity, squarish window tracery, intricate stonework, and fan vaults.

Quick Facts on Perpendicular Gothic

Go Historic ID

Getty AAT ID

300020803

Term Type

style

Dates

14-16/17C

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Definition

Term used to describe a style of Gothic architecture, peculiar to England, that flourished from the 14th century to the early 16th. The term, devised by Thomas Rickman in the early 19th century, covers the style that emerged from designs by the workshop at St Stephen's Chapel (after 1292) in the Palace of Westminster. The essence of Perpendicular is regularity: straight lines or crystalline shapes, a thin and transparent structure exploiting stained glass on the inner surface, monochrome building materials, modular repetition, and a fineness of detail almost approaching preciousness.

"Perpendicular style" The Grove Encyclopedia of Medieval Art and Architecture 2012

Definition

Refers to the last phase of Gothic architectural style in England, as coined by English architect and antiquarian, Thomas Rickman, in the early 19th century. The term originally referred primarily to window tracery from the late 14th century, but now is applied more generally to the broader style and to a wider time frame, roughly from 1330 to the 17th century. The style is characterized by density of pattern, the fan vault, the loss of bulky convex pier profiles to favor elements composed of a network of elegant, flat lines, the use of vertical mullions and regular horizontal divisions in window tracery, these same designs continued into the adjoining masonry, and the general effect in interior spaces of a delicate cage lodged inside a sturdy framework.

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