The Norman Conquest of England in 1066 was a traumatic event, triggering a process which resulted in one of the largest transfers of land and political power to affect medieval Europe. It brought about immense administrative change, facilitated by the building of castles and the foundation of new towns and villages. It also saw changes in approaches to building, some facilitated by technical developments in carpentry and the procurement of stone, others better understood in organisational terms.
How far this was a result of the ‘Normanisation’ of architecture after the Conquest is the question this short lecture series will address. Our understanding of architecture in the twenty years before the Conquest is limited, with Westminster Abbey the only major church believed to have been built through the Conquest. Architecture after the Conquest is better represented but crystallises a problem as much terminological as historical or aesthetic. What does Anglo-Saxon or Norman mean when applied to architecture?
Please note: this lecture series will close to enrolments at 23:59 UTC on 1 November 2024.